Tamales with Red Pork and Green Chicken

• Prep1 h
• Cook2 h 20 min
• Total3 h 50 min
• Serves8

Ingredients

For the red pork filling

• 350 g boneless pork shoulder, in 3 cm (1 1/4 in) cubes (3/4 lb)
• 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 25 g)
• 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded (about 12 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 30 g white onion
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 500 g water (2 cups)

For the green chicken filling

• 250 g tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved (about 4)
• 1 or 2 serrano peppers, stemmed
• 30 g white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 50 g water (3 tbsp)
• 10 g fresh cilantro (1/3 cup)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200 g cooked shredded chicken (1 1/2 cups), such as rotisserie chicken

For the masa

• 160 g lard or vegetable shortening (3/4 cup), at room temperature
• 400 g masa harina for tamales (3 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 600 g warm broth (2 1/2 cups): the pork cooking broth plus chicken broth

To assemble and steam

• 20 dried corn husks, plus a few more for tying and lining
• 1500 g water (6 1/3 cups), for steaming
• Salsa, to serve

Instructions

1. Soak the corn husks in a large bowl of very hot water for at least 30 minutes, with a plate on top to keep them under, until soft.
2. Place the pork, chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, salt and 500 g water in the mixing bowl. Place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 60 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
3. Strain everything over a jug and keep the broth. Shred the pork with two forks. Return the chiles, garlic and onion to the mixing bowl with 150 g of the broth and blend 1 min/speed 5-10, increasing speed gradually. Mix the sauce with the pork and rinse the mixing bowl.
4. Place the tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic and 50 g water in the mixing bowl and cook 10 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1. Add the cilantro and salt and blend 20 sec/speed 5-8, increasing speed gradually. Mix half of the salsa with the chicken and keep the rest for serving. Wash and dry the mixing bowl well.
5. Insert the butterfly whisk, place the lard in the mixing bowl and whip 2 min/speed 3.5, until white and fluffy. Remove the butterfly whisk. Add the masa harina, baking powder, salt and 600 g warm broth (the pork broth topped up with chicken broth) and knead 2 min/dough mode. The masa should be soft and spreadable, like thick hummus.
6. Pat the husks dry. On the smooth side of each husk, spread about 70 g masa (a heaping 1/4 cup) in a thin rectangle, leaving a border. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center, fold the sides over, fold the ends in and tie with a thin strip of husk. Make 8 red and 8 green tamales.
7. Rinse the mixing bowl and add the 1500 g water. Line the Varoma dish with a few husks, leaving some holes uncovered for the steam, and arrange the tamales loosely in layers in the Varoma dish and on the Varoma tray. Set the Varoma in position and steam 70 min/Varoma/speed 1. After 40 minutes, check the water and add 500 g hot water if it is low.
8. Let the tamales rest in the covered Varoma for 10 minutes. They are done when the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk; if it sticks, steam 10 min/Varoma/speed 1 more.
9. Serve warm, for everyone to unwrap at the table, with the salsa verde or your favorite salsa.

Tips

• If not all the tamales fit in the Varoma, steam the rest standing up, open end up, in a steamer pot on the stove over simmering water for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Freeze steamed tamales in zip-top bags for up to 3 months. Reheat them from frozen in the Varoma with 1000 g water in the bowl: steam 25 min/Varoma/speed 1.
• Make the fillings a day ahead and keep them in the fridge, along with the pork broth. On tamal day, the masa and the steaming take about 2 hours.
• Masa harina for tamales is a little coarser than the one for tortillas and makes fluffier tamales. Look for it in the Hispanic aisle at Publix, Walmart or Sedano's.