Vegan Tamales Recipe

November 21, 2014 by India Leigh

Tamales. For those that have been following this blog for a while you will already know my love of Mexican Food and my soft spot for fragrant, steamy, carb loaded tamales! My first ever tamale experience was on a road trip and a hastened ready meal by Amy’s Kitchen. I then blazingly stalked La Guera Tamalera for her amazing tamales when I visited Los Angeles. I even managed to find vegan tamales when I was in travelling in Mexico. I’ve been making my own tamales ever since. Whenever I can get my hands on corn husks. Or I just use organic non-bleached parchment paper if I am really desperate for a tamale fix.

It was on my travels in Mexico that I discovered huitlacoche, a corn fungus (stick with me!) whilst at a farmers market in Oaxaca. Mesmerised I watched the deft hands of a beautiful Mexcian woman form a ball of pale corn dough into tortillas and then with one hand slap them onto a pale earthware, drum shaped griddle. A comal. Fired from underneath, a traditional Mexican cooking method as old as time. The smells that rose from the hot surface were intoxicating. My two months of Spanish lessons taken whilst in Argentina and followed up in Mexico (since forgotten by lack of use) paid off and I was able to string the words together to enquire if she could feed a hungry vegan. A passing American expat saved me when she scooped up a mass of a shining black ingredient. She passed a spoon in front of my nose, spoke a word I did not understand. ‘It’s corn fungus..nothing to alarm you. Delicious. Try it’. The tanned Texan said, encouragingly. The woman spooned sautéed spinach, the exotic corn fungus (known as huitlacoche) and decanted vibrant green salsa onto two tortillas with a flourish. A minute to warm it through and it was wrapped and handed to me with a smile. It cost barely anything.

I sat at a long communal table under the shade of a tree and experienced corn fungus for the very first time. It tasted faintly of corn, and mushrooms, but with a mildly tart, earthy flavour note completely new to me. After a split second..I was hooked.

I hope you can buy huitlacoche where you live. The flavor is perfect nestled inside warm, fluffy, steamed masa dough. If not, there are substitutions listed for you below.

Vegan Tamales

For the vegan tamales recipe you will need;

3 cups masa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free it that’s appropriate for you)
1 teaspoon Himalayn salt
4 tbs coconut oil, melted
2 cups of water (approx…gradually add and just use enough to make a dough)
1 package dried corn husks

For the filling

1 can huitlacoche - if you are unable to obtain this where you live then substitute with crimini, portabello or shiitake mushrooms

2- 3 pinches of chilli flakes

salt & pepper as needed. The huitlacoche is salted but you may wish to add a little more.

optional - spinach or kale sautéed in olive oil and garlic

Method

Whilst your corn husks are soaking in hot water for 30 mins (use a large pan and use a lid to hold them under water), prepare your masa dough.

Mix the flour with the melted coconut oil, salt and baking powder. Add water.

Spread the masa dough onto the soaked corn husks. Place a line of your filling into the centre.

Bring the sides of the husks together, gently rolling the dough to enclose the filling. Use the husks to gently squeeze and roll, making a seal. Fold the top and bottom of the husks over to close. Tie with torn strips of the husk (easier said than done) or string. Or just fold and gently place in the steaming basket. When all jostled together the tamales will not really need tying. And anyway, I can never get the husk string to hold. Something I still need to learn!

Use a steaming basked in a large pan. Have about 2 inches of water in the bottom. Make sure it doesn’t rise above the steamer basket. Keep an eye on the water level. Steam for about 35-40 mins. Leave to cool slightly before serving as they will of course be hot to handle.

I served these with a spicy guava and cilantro salsa.

Let us know in the comments below how your tamales turn out!

Vegan Tamales Recipe

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

The lightest, fluffiest vegan tamales.

Author: India Leigh

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Vegan Tamales
For the vegan tamales recipe you will need;
3 cups masa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free it that's appropriate for you)
1 teaspoon Himalayn salt
4 tbs coconut oil, melted
2 cups of water (approx...gradually add and just use enough to make a dough)
1 package dried corn husks
For the filling
1 can huitlacoche - if you are unable to obtain this where you live then substitute with crimini, portabello or shiitake mushrooms
2- 3 pinches of chilli flakes
salt & pepper as needed. The huitlacoche is salted but you may wish to add a little more.
optional - spinach or kale sautéed in olive oil and garlic

Instructions

Whilst your corn husks are soaking in hot water for 30 mins (use a large pan and use a lid to hold them under water), prepare your masa dough.
Mix the flour with the melted coconut oil, salt and baking powder. Add water.
Spread the masa dough onto the soaked corn husks. Place a line of your filling into the centre.
Bring the sides of the husks together, gently rolling the dough to enclose the filling. Use the husks to gently squeeze and roll, making a seal. Fold the top and bottom of the husks over to close. Tie with torn strips of the husk (easier said than done) or string. Or just fold and gently place in the steaming basket. When all jostled together the tamales will not really need tying. And anyway, I can never get the husk string to hold. Something I still need to learn!
Use a steaming basked in a large pan. Have about 2 inches of water in the bottom. Make sure it doesn't rise above the steamer basket. Keep an eye on the water level. Steam for about 35-40 mins. Leave to cool slightly before serving as they will of course be hot to handle.
I served these with a spicy guava and cilantro salsa.

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Ferry Building Farmers Market San Francisco - VEGAN offerings

February 4, 2012 by India Leigh

In all the times I’ve visited San Francisco, this is the first time I ventured to the Ferry Building Farmers Market. I just didn’t seem to get around to it before. My reason for heading there was the love of a fragrant, steaming tamale, wrapped in a corn husk and a craving that needed satisfying. I LOVE tamales. But (put your fingers in your ears…I am going to blow my own trumpet) I haven’t really find many that rival those made with my own fair hands…with the exception (so far) of La Guerra Tamalera in Los Angeles…I had high hopes for Donna’s Tamales so I spirited my trusty steed and peddled like fury down to the Embarcadero.

Uncustomary, I walked up and down surveying the stalls of vegetables and artisan foods first, and didn’t beeline straight for sustenance. I spotted a few vegan goodies, a company called Hodo Soy who operate from their beanery in Oakland to produce fresh tofu and tofu ‘skin’. The skin that forms in the tofu making process that they then cut into strips and marinate. So good. Also a Marin chick Marin Gourmet who makes Middle Eastern dips and falafel.

butternut squash and black bean, with salsas and slaw

my sweet lunch date

The verdict on the tamales? They were…okay. I would have them again… and hey, TOP MARKS for being vegan. For my taste though, I prefer my steaming corn pockets a little more well seasoned. I’d say I still prefer my own! (oh, there’s that rasping trumpet again!).

A week of VEGAN - Meal Plan - Day 4 - Mexican comfort food

July 14, 2011 by India Leigh

Hello! Day 4 of my meal plan. What a day of food!

You know, even though I’d made Tamales once before I was feeling a bit anxious about it (what a silly thing to worry about..its not as though anyone is even reading this..oh, of course..except for you, wonderful you. I hope you are having a lovely day!). I was excited though too, ‘tasting’ the filing I was going to experiment with in my mind. God, should I experiment when I’m going to post it on the wobblyweb? what if the tamales were a culinary horror?! da da DAA! I got a grip and remembered I had to eat lunch first. Focus on the task in hand you obsessive vegan I childed myself. One step at a time…so right.

After another grey skied day in East Sussex I decided I needed to have colour and comfort. Sorry to those of you sitting in bikinis sipping icy cocktails being little sun beams but it is a bit nippy here today (I’m plotting to make some salads in next few days). I wanted soup. I love soup. Especially this one.

Spicy butternut squash & coconut soup

To serve 4-6

1 large butternut squash (approx 1.5kg)

2 med-large onions

1 tbs grated ginger

liquid * For a light low-fat version I used roughly 6 cups - 4 x water & 2x coconut milk (carton stuff and not the thick stuff in a can). If you want to have a more coconut flavour use a can of lite coconut.

1 vegan stock cube (I used yeast free)

1-2 tsp chili powder

1 tbs oil

salt & pepper to taste

*optional…to garnish use roasted squash seeds and toasted coconut shreds

1.saute the onions in oil

2.chop the squash. I wash it well and keep the skin on.

3.put squash and grated ginger in with the onions and fry for a 2-3 mins

4.add liquid, chili powder and stock cube, bring to boil and simmer until squash is soft (approx 25-30mins)

5.blend

6.salt & pepper to taste.

I LOVE this soup. It is thick, spicy I acutally danced around the kitchen with the bowl in my hand thus was the extent of my happiness. This soup, to me, is SO satisfying I love it. I would marry it. I’d even sign a pre-nup.

I failed to get very creative with the pics as I was SO hungry and I just wanted to sit and savour a bowl full. I did and then repeated with another bowl….don’t judge me reader, it’s bloody good soup!

4pm rolled around and I started to draw out ingredients from drawers and cupboards. Tamale time! I decided on my filling.

Cheezly, Chorizo & chili tomato Tamales

Makes approx 8-10

250g masa harina

3 cups water - this may vary according to your flour and humidity etc so add slowly to make a dough

1 1/2tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tbs vegan butter

corn husks or baking parchment

I have only discovered tamale flour (masa) in a London market so far. It’s a rare beast here. Why?…it’s so good. Even though I’d made them before I followed the complicated instructions on the back..cream the vegan marg, with salt, make dough with water..then a whole load of shenanigans to put it all together. They came out no better than my through it all in a bowl was so this is what I will tell you.

Cream ‘butter’ with the salt, then add the other ingredients (not the water yet) and then mix. Slowly add in the water to form a dough.

For the filling

50g vegan chorizo

60g cheezly or if you were blessed at birth to be American, you have Daiya. Use Daiya (oh God I wish I had Daiya..)

2 tbs capers

Chili sauce - 1 mild red chili boiled in a cup of water with chopped onion and 2 tbs tomato paste. Boil 20mins then blend.

Soak enough corn husks until soft or use baking parchment

spread the masa as above and place in your filling. Fold the husks to bring the masa together and seal the filling, use your finger to seal and square off the ends and fold over the top and bottom. Place in the steaming pan. Repeat until you’ve used all the filling.

Steam for one hour. To test if done, remove one tamale and leave to cool for 5 mins. It is mushy, pop it back and check again every 5 mins until done. A hour should be ample though to steam the tamales in to a aromatic sponge.

Oh my gosh, they were fabulous..’punch the air’ good. So FULL of yummy flavour. How happy am I?! AND, in my freezer sat some salted caramel & choc chip banana ice cream!

This picture does not do this ball of frosty magic justice. I used the basic recipe I’d posted previously but added soft, gooey chopped organic apricots (for caramel taste) and bashed a couple of tbs of vegan choc chips with 1 and a quarter tsp of pink salt and mixed that in also. H E A V E N!

See you tomorrow for Day 5 of the meal plan. x

TAMALE VIRGIN

March 24, 2011 by India Leigh

I’m still dancing around the kitchen. Squash, tamales, lentils and artichoke my dance partners following my culinary whims.

It was snowing the other day and I was feeling creative so I decided to have a go at making tamales. First attempt…. a mild success. At least I know what to repeat and what not to. 7 out of 10 for taste, 5 out of ten for presentation and 10 out of 10 for FUN. Still trying to upgrade photography skills…

Leek, sundried tomato, chive & tahini tamale filling

Tamales getting steamy in the kitchen!

I also made a sweet tamal, stuffed with cinnamon spiced red beans and sweetened with prune puree. I’d run out of dates to make a syrup so I grabbed the prune pouch instead. Actually, they worked out quite well.

As is my obsessive nature, I now have a million ideas of what to marry my masa with. Tamale alchemy…work in progress.

I’d love to hear what is your favourite tamale stuffing? Do you have ideas on the tip of your tongue you want to share? From the wondrous to the bizarre….

p.s A great tip from my talented friend Cathy Brown at The Soul Kitchen in Idyllwild for reheating tamales…yes, its best in the steamer but if you just cannot wait to scoff and time is premium…soak kitchen towel in water and wrap the tamale. Microwave for 2mins. Good as fresh.

Vegan Tamales

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