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Oaxacan Black Mole Tamales

Oaxacan Black Mole Tamales

Ingredients

  • Tamale dough:
  • 4 cups of MASECA® Tamale corn masa flour
  • 1¼ cups of lard
  • 1¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 2 ¾ cups of warm water *
  • *Note: You can substitute water for your favorite broth, we recommend chicken or pork broth.
  • Filling:
  • 2 cups of chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 8.8 ounces of Oaxacan black mole paste
  • 10.6 ounces of tomatoes
  • 0.7 ounces of onion
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of chicken broth
  • 15-20 pieces of banana leaves of 11.81 inches long, grilled

Preparation

Tamale dough:

  1. In a bowl, or in the mixer’s bowl, place MASECA® Tamale corn masa flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix dry ingredients with a spoon; if you are using a mixer, mix at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. In a hot pan, add the lard until melted. Set aside and keep warm.
  3. Add warm lard slowly to the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing constantly. Then add warm water slowly, also mixing constantly. If using a mixer, use medium speed until lard and water are incorporated.
  4. Continue mixing until the dough is completely integrated. If using a mixer, increase speed and mix for 4 to 5 minutes. This dough will not fluff, but the consistency will be soft and smooth.

Filling:

  1. Dice onion and tomatoes, sauté in a hot pan with oil and cook thoroughly. Blend chicken broth with the onions and tomatoes until obtaining a smooth sauce.
  2. Pour the tomato suace in a hot pan and add the black mole paste stirring constantly until dissolved.
  3. The mole sauce must boil for at least 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add more chicken broth or water until obtaining proper consistency.
  4. Add shredded chicken and boil for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

Tamale assembly:

  1. Take a banana leaf with the shiny side down and add a tablespoon of tamale dough (2.8 to 3.2 ounces) in the middle of the banana leaf and spread using a spoon or your fingers to form a rectangle-shaped layer ½ inch thick.
  2. In the middle of the rectangle, add some chicken with mole.
  3. Join two edges of the leaf and fold to cover the masa and chicken filling completely. Then fold the other two sides of the leaf under the Tamale (the shape of the closed tamale will be like a wallet or a package).
  4. You can tie the tamales to avoid the leaves from opening or to identify the filling.
  5. Place tamales in steamer horizontally to avoid opening and cook for 50 minutes. Rest tamales inside the steamer for 10 minutes before serving.

Cooking tip: To soften banana leaves, grilled directly to the stove flame, submerge on boiling water, or freeze for 2 to 3 hours.

 

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