I’m so excited to share that I finally decided to make tamales by myself for the first time in two years! I’ve been helping my friend’s family, but I’ve usually just taken part in the assembly. They already prepare the meat, sauce, and masa, and I just add the meat to the masa, throw in some green olives, potatoes, and jalapeños, and then fold them up. If you’ve never tried tamales made this way, you’re really missing out! My friend’s mom is from an area in Mexico near Ensenada, and that’s how she learned to make them.
This time, though, I really wanted to recreate the way my mom makes them. I wanted to prepare the meat, sauce, and masa all on my own. I didn’t end up making my masa from scratch, but I came pretty close! I used some prepared masa from Superior, added lard, salt, and juice from the meat, and mixed it until it reached a nice peanut butter-like consistency.
Oh, and I finally got my mom to write down her recipe! You wouldn’t believe how challenging that was—she’s one of those cooks who just adds spices until it “feels right.” It’s a little tricky getting her to stick to measurements!
