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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Christmas is over, my thoughts now turn to the New Year. My thoughts, of course, involve food. I’ve been thinking about putting together this recipe for a while. I finally got around to it. You can make this recipe ahead of time. Haggis Neeps And Tatties Recipe

Many myths abound around one famed savoury pudding. What savoury pudding?? Haggis. As the legend goes, the recipe was supposed to have originated from Scotland..WRONG. According to a food writer (Historian Alan Davidson), haggis was being cooked upon the fires of the Ancient Romans. Another myth is that the Scots consume tons of the sheep offal stuffed stomachs of farm animals, known to us as haggis. WRONG! apparently, the English actually enjoy tucking into this boiled dish far more than their Highland brothers. And lastly, the myth that vegans cannot eat it. WRONG! If you want to join in an age old tradition of eating haggis to ring in the New Year in the spirit of Hogmanay (what the Scots call New years eve), and/or gather with friends to eat and be merry for the anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robbie Burns each January 25th, I’ve just the recipe for you. It is gluten free, too. It is a great recipe that you are going to love!

My recipe is made with tempeh. For those that don’t know, tempeh has it’s origins in Indonesia, here it is traditionally made from fermenting soybeans in a compacted or caked form. It has no cholesterol, it is high in protein and fibre with a nutty flavour and chewy texture. It takes on flavours well and is really versatile. For this recipe I used a delicious garbanzo tempeh, for a soy-free haggis, made by a company in Texas called The Hearty Vegan. If you cannot get hold of this then any tempeh will work.

Haggis

1/3 cup lentils cooked

1 pkt tempeh (I used garbanzo tempeh by

3/4 pinhead oats

grating nutmeg

5 cremini mushrooms

1 med white onion

1 tbs cilantro dried

1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp fresh marjoram

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1 vegetable bouillon in 2 1/2 cups of water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp freshly grated horseradish

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

2 tbs olive oil for sautéing

parsley rosemary marjoram

finely dice the onion. sauté in the olive oil. add tempeh and break it down to crumbles with a fork

add the oats to allow them to toast slightly

add the bouillon, water, herbs, nutmeg, lentils, mushrooms, salt & pepper

Gently simmer for twenty mins. Keep a watchful eye on it, if the oatmeal gets too stiff during cooking add a little more water.

Allow to cool so the oats can absorb any remaining liquid and become drier. You don’t want a sloppy mess.

If possible, pop a lid on the pan and leave in the fridge (or a cool place) overnight to allow the flavours to fully develop.

Now you have two choices. Place the mix onto foil to make a dome. Cover with foil and seal the edges and roast for 30mins, cut open the foil at the lid and then bake for a further 10 mins uncovered.

or,

Heat oil in a pan and fry. Roasting is of course healthier and easier, no fry pans to scrub!

It is traditional to eat haggis with ‘neeps’ and ‘tatties’. The ‘neeps’ are turnips. This is a little confusing as the turnips are actually boiled and mashed swede. Just boil and then mash with a pinch of white pepper.
The ‘tatties’ are, of course, mashed potatoes. I made a creamy mash from cauliflower, parsnip and potato in equal quantities. When cooked, about 20mins, sprinkle over some salt and then mash with lots of black pepper. It needs nothing more. Delectable.

The following day (one of my favourite things) leftovers. Fry the haggis in oil. Grab two slices of bread, spread a thin layer of vegan butter, spoon on some leftover mash and slather to cover to the edges. Add a generous layer of the crumbly, crusted fried haggis, and then close it up with a slice of bread onto the top. You can lift the lid and squeeze on a zig zag of mustard if you so desire. Get ready with a napkin, it is a messy business, and sink your teeth into it. The layers of flavour, the peppery swede, the fluffy mash and the chewy, savoury ‘meaty’ haggis, the hot and the cold things going on, are delicious!

The perfect New Years Eve or New Years day dinner. If you can rustle up a kilted bagpipe player or two, all the better.

Happy New Year!! Of course, Auld Lang Syne was written by Burns himself. No doubt you’ll be singing it at some point.

As for 2014. My hopes for thee? That you enjoy a great, nay utterly FABULOUS year. To assist the deliverance of the nub of my wishes…as penned by Master Burns….

“Hope Springs Exulting on Triumphant Wing.”
― Robert Burns

and Lang may yer lum reek! (Scottish for live long and happy).

Vegan Tamales

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