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Molé Mama’s Tamalada’s Pork Mole Tamales
Molé Mama, Little Hunnys Cakery, Alicias Delicias
I recently had the pleasure of hosting a tamalada party in our new home with a team of Cake Wars award-winning bakers, their mama, and daughters! Alicias Delicias, her mama, Gina, and Little Hunnys Cakery brought their A-game tamale making skills. We made 14 dozen tamales in a few hours, and had a remarkable experience that left my heart full of gratefulness and joy!
Beautiful Alicias Delicias and pork tamales!
Tamale-making gatherings are one of my most cherished holiday memories of cooking with my mama Rose. This was the first tamalada I’d hosted since she went to heaven almost eight years ago. I had so much fear about trying to make them without her guidance. My mama’s tamales were perfection and legendary in our family. I was merely a student in her kitchen that continued to learn during many decades but never felt like I graduated and could host my tamalada. With the encouragement of my new beautiful friend Alicia, I decided to face my fear and host my first tamalada.
Little Hunnys Cakery spreading the masa on the Ojas (corn husks)
The most critical ingredient for any great tamale is the masa (corn flour dough). It’s like the cake batter of a great cake and needs to be the right balance of great flavor, moistness, and firmness, and not overly greasy and EASY to spread raw on damp hojas (corn husks)! It’s a Mexican art form to perfect your masa. The primary ingredients of masa are fat, cornflour, and broth. When I was a child, my mama made all of these ingredients from scratch. She would cook dried corn, and my brother and I would grind into cornflour with a hand crank grinder, make homemade lard from making chicharrones, and stock from boiling pork in a multiday back-breaking process.
Today there are lots of tamale masa options, including purchasing fresh masa, preparada (prepared/ready to use, no preparada (freshly ground corn flour needing broth and fat), or corn flour. You can buy these in Mexican markets, supermarkets, and online.
After a great deal of research on YouTube and various cookbooks, I decided to use Maseca’s Tamal cornflour. My mama used to after she retired our corn grinder. And since I didn’t have her recipe, I chose to use the recipe on the side of the bag, and it turned out perfectly with my mama’s upgrades of fresh pork stock and pork lard. Once my hands started mixing the masa, I was transported back to her kitchen, and I remembered how to mix it! (see complete recipe below)
My mama always made three types of tamales, pork mole, chicken mole, and rajas and queso(poblano chiles and cheese). Since it was my first tamalada, I decided to keep our fillings simple and prepared shredded pork and rajas and queso (poblano chiles and cheese). You can be creative and fill your tamales with almost anything you want. If you decide to use pork, chicken, or beef, they need to be thoroughly cooked and have an added sauce or extra stock so it doesn't try out when added to the masa and steamed. Vegetables should be partially fresh or partially cooked.
Beautiful Little Hunnys Cakery and her record breaking masa spreading!
Molé Mama mixing tamale masa
Mama Gina - Tamale Veteran and Alicias Delicias Mama
They were going so fast, and so focused that it was tough to get them to take a short break for a shot of tequila and wine. I filled in here and there and was in awe of these chefs!
In 4 hours we made 14 dozen tamales, ate lunch, fresh hot tamales with Salsa Fresca, Spanish rice, and Peruvian refried beans and Little Hunny’s Cakery pumpkin spice cupcakes and cleaned up! I highly recommend hosting your tamalada or participating to fully understand the connection and joy this ancient Mexican tradition that will bring you!
Here are the recipes and steps you’ll need to create you’re own Tamalada!
Recruit your assembly team. You need at least one person to spread the masa on the Ojas(corn husks), and another to add the filling and fold. But trust me, the more help, the better. Little Hunnys Cakery came with tamale spreaders. I’d always used spoons, but after watching her use the spreaders and trying them my self, I’m sold. And she was so fast; it was like watching an olympian gracefully spreading masa on Oja, after Oja in mere seconds. You had to watch closely without blinking to catch her do one at a time. Alicia Delicias and her mama Gina were assembly goddesses, first making pork tamales and our queso & rajas.
Pork Mole Tamales and Rajas Con Queso (poblano peppers with cheese) Tamales Recipes
Tools
tamale pan or stock pot with a steamer
dish towels
aluminum foil
Day 1 - Tamale Prep (at least one day before your tamalada)
Pork Stock & Shredded Pork Recipe - Stock will be added to pork mole and masa
Ingredients
pork butt or roast
whole peeled garlic
yellow onions
salt
water
Directions
Cut pork into large cubes and put into a stock(soup) pan; add garlic and onions, and salt.
Boil for 2-3 hours until pork is tender and falls apart.
Remove pork and place in a bowl to cool.
Strain the stock and remove garlic and onions, and other fat pieces by pouring stock thru a large strainer
Shred pork and remove all fat.
Store stock and pork in the refrigerator.
Hojas de MaĪz - Corn Husks Prep
Ingredients
Hojas (corn husks)
Water
Directions
Wash hojas with water and remove any cornsilk and place in a casserole dish
Pour clean water over clean hojas until fully submerged.
Cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and soak overnight. Don’t refrigerate.
Rajas (Fire Roasted Poblano Pepper) And Cheese Prep
Ingredients
Can substitute canned Ortega chiles or jalapenos
Poblano Pepper
Monterey Jack Cheese
Directions
Rinse poblano peppers with water
Place poblano peppers in a skillet and use med-high heat to fire roast or grill on the barbeque.
Turn peppers with long tongs until all sides are roasted (black)
Using tongs, place cooked peppers into a bowl and cover with paper towels to allow peppers to sweat and cool so the skin will loosen.
Place cooled peppers on the cutting board and peel off the skin and remove the seeds.
Slice peppers into 2” x 1” slices
Store the peppers in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight
Place Monterey Jack Cheese on the cutting board and slice into 1” x 2” x ¼” slices
Put cheese slices into a bowl, cover, and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Day 2 - Tamale Making Day
Pork Mole
Ingredients
8 cups pork stock
Shredded Pork
Directions
Add dried spices(chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, cloves, garlic, onion, salt) and stock to a large bowl, mix with a whisk and set aside.
Make Roux
Add oil to a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Test the heat of the oil with a wooden spoon, and once bubbles, add flour and constantly mix to keep from burning. Mix until the roux is dark brown. Don't leave the stove during this process, and continue to mix for about 15 minutes.
Add stock with dried spices mixture to the roux.
Reduce heat. Add ½ stock, whisk well, remove lumps and then add remaining stock until the roux thickens and boils gently.
Add shredded pork and simmer for 20 minutes
Place in a large casserole dish and set aside
Prepare Tamale Masa (dough)
Ingredients
2 cups Maseca Tamal corn flour
1 ⅓ cups pork stock
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
⅔ cup lard (Farmer John's or fresh lard)
1 tablespoon dry chili powder
Directions
Place lard in a small saucepan. Put on the stove and use low heat to melt slowly.
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
Remove melted lard from the stove and add cold pork stock to the pan, and mix. Don’t heat.
Begin adding liquid to dry ingredients gradually. Mix with hands until mixed well, and then add more liquid; repeat until mixed well. This will take several minutes. (recommend wearing gloves)
Test Masa readiness:
Two methods - place a tiny masa ball in the water, and if floats, it’s ready
Spread on hoja, and if it goes on smoothly and quickly, it’s ready; my preferred method.
Tamale Assembly
Spreading the masa on the hojas
Use a large spoon or tamale spreader and spread evenly on the hoja, covering the flat edge and leaving 1”- 2” empty from the top of the hoja. Tip from Gina, spread masa on the smooth side of the hoja so that it will peel away from the hoja once cooked! It works!
Pork Mole Tamales
Fill hoja with pork mole (about 1 tablespoon)and fold long sides in on each other and fold over the edge without masa. Stand folded tamale in a bowl.
Rajas and Queso Tamales
Place rajas - 2 pieces of poblano chiles and 1 piece of cheese on hoja
Fold both sides and fold over the edge without the masa
Steam tamales
Fill the water section of the tamale pot. Stand tamales in a steamer and cover them with wet corn husks and a damp clean towel for about 90 - 120 minutes. Do not stand tamales directly in water. Ensure that steamer doesn’t run out of water during cooking. Heat water if more is needed before adding it to the steamer. Take one out and test, remove from hoja, and when mesa begins to separate from corn husk, they're ready.
Remove from heat and let cool for about 10-15 minutes; remove hojas, and it’s my favorite time to eat tamales.
Freezing tamales. Freeze uncooked tamales for up to 3 months, thaw, and follow #3 above (steam tamales)
Please reach out via Instagram or Facebook with any questions!
Happy Cooking,
Molé Mama