CUBAN TAMALES

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Cuban Tamales image

A fusion of African, Caribbean, and Spanish cuisine all wrapped up in a corn husk. This recipe is from my grandmother Mima and my mom who both spent long hours in the backyard in Cuba making these magical potions. A flavorful tamal masa with pork and chorizo stuffing is wrapped in a corn husk and slowly cooked in a pot of simmering water.

Provided by mirelys

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Latin American     Caribbean

Time 6h40m

Yield 14

Number Of Ingredients 22

¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 ½ pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into small pieces
1 cup dry white wine, divided
2 cups water
10 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
2 cubes beef bouillon (such as Knorr®)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 links Spanish chorizo sausage (such as Goya®), thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives
4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 ½ cups masa harina
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks, soaked in warm water
kitchen twine, cut into 12-inch lengths

Steps:

  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork in hot oil until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Pour 1/2 cup white wine into saucepan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  • Stir 2 cups water, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 beef bouillon cube, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and black pepper to pork mixture. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover the saucepan with a lid, and simmer until pork is very tender, 1 to 2 hours. Transfer pork to a bowl and reserve cooking liquid.
  • Heat remaining olive oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo and cooked pork in hot oil until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir onion, green pepper, and remaining minced garlic into chorizo mixture; saute until vegetables soften and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining white wine, olives, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and remaining bouillon cube; cook, stirring frequently, until flavors combine, about 5 minutes more.
  • Pulse corn and 1 1/2 cups reserved pork broth together in a blender or food processor until mixture has a thick and chunky consistency. Stir corn mixture into pork-chorizo mixture.
  • Reduce heat to medium and stir masa harina, sugar, vinegar, and salt into pork mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has a hearty cornmeal porridge-consistency. Season with salt and remove from heat.
  • Make a pocket out of one corn husk and fill 3/4 full with pork mixture, leaving a top flap. Wrap another husk around the filled pocket. Fold top flap over the pocket. Tie twine length- and width-wise around the tamale several times so that packet is secure, but has room for filling to expand during cooking. Repeat with remaining husks and filling.
  • Fill a pot with 2-inches of water; bring to a simmer. Place tamales upright in simmering water, cover the pot, and cook, adding water as necessary, until filling is hot and set, about 40 minutes. Cool tamales until completely set, at least 3 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 284.3 calories, Carbohydrate 24 g, Cholesterol 33.2 mg, Fat 15.4 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 11.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.4 g, Sodium 603.9 mg, Sugar 4.4 g

Asad Abdullah
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I'm so glad I tried this recipe. These tamales were delicious and I will definitely be making them again.


Shergeel khan Khan
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The flavors in these tamales were incredible. I highly recommend them.


Davion Rankins
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These tamales were amazing! I will definitely be making them again and again.


Ashraf Madi
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I'm not sure what I did wrong, but my tamales didn't turn out well. They were too mushy.


Kartikeya Vernekar
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These tamales were a lot of work to make, but they were worth it. They were so delicious!


Samani
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I was disappointed with these tamales. They were dry and bland.


Youniskhan Youniskhan
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These tamales were delicious! The masa was fluffy and the filling was flavorful.


Vignesh Vigneshwaren
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I'm not a big fan of tamales, but these were actually really good. I would definitely eat them again.


Dan Makindu
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These tamales were a bit too spicy for my taste, but they were still very good.


Sophia Flores
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The flavors in these tamales were incredible. I highly recommend them.


MarcyFilms
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These tamales were amazing! I will definitely be making them again.


Israt Jahan Mishu
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I followed the recipe exactly, but my tamales didn't turn out as good as I hoped. They were a little bland.


Zainabu Achola
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These tamales were a little dry for my taste, but the flavor was good.


ayman swaylim
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I love the combination of flavors in these tamales. The sweet corn masa pairs perfectly with the savory pork filling.


Maruf Hawladar
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These tamales were a little more work to make than I expected, but they were worth it. They were so flavorful and delicious.


ullas ullas mr
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I've never had Cuban tamales before, but these were delicious! The masa was flavorful and the filling was moist and savory.


Sajjad ahmed
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These Cuban tamales were a hit at my dinner party! The flavors were amazing and the tamales were cooked perfectly. I will definitely be making these again.