Tamales with Yellow Mole

 

When the Spanish introduced cooking fats it revolutionized the whole concept of tamales.  Today virtually all are filled with a mixture of masa and lard.  Without the added fat the masa would be almost inedibly dense.  I’d always wondered how the pre-Hispanic peoples could have made tamales without lard to lighten the dough.  Insight came from Zoyla Mendoza, the inspired Valley Zapotec cook who has been my mentor in so many ways.

I had come to visit her village, Teotitlán del Valle, during the annual Days of the Dead celebration.  Zoyla first took me shopping at the village market and then showed me the secret of the popular amarillo tamales.  Essentially they are tortilla-tamales  — you make a very thin corn tortilla and carefully fold it over a filling of mole amarillo and a little plain shredded chicken, then wrap it up in a long corn leaf — not a husk, but the leaf stripped from the cornstalk.

It would be hard to duplicate the same feat unless you could get some big corn leaves and master a somewhat intricate wrapping technique.  I have adapted the recipe to use corn husks.  For true pre-Hispanic tamales, eliminate the chicken, and make mole amarillo without cloves or peppercorns.

 

10 large fresh or dried corn leaves or dried corn husks

 

2 large or 4 medium-sized fresh hoja santa leaves or 4 – 5 dried leaves, crumbled

1 pound (about 2 cups) finely ground masa either fresh or reconstituted by mixing 1 1/2 cups masa harina with 1 1/4 cups warm homemade chicken stock  or water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 1/2 cups Amarillo

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

 

Have ready a steamer arrangement.

Place the corn husks or dried leaves in a deep bowl, cover well with hot water, and let soak for about 30 minutes.

If using fresh hoja santa, tear the leaves into a total of 10 pieces, as equal-sized as possible.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the masa and salt, working well with your hands to mix evenly. (If using masa harina, add the salt before mixing in the stock or water.)  Form the dough into 10 Ping-Pong-sized balls.

Drain the corn husks and pat dry.  Have them on the counter ready to fill.

Working with one ball of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth, prepare a tortilla press by the directions on page 000 and press out the dough into a 5-inch round.  Gently peel off the plastic liner.  Carefully holding the tortilla in the palm of one hand, place 1 heaping tablespoon of amarillo in the center.  Place several pieces of shredded chicken over it and top with a piece of the reserved hoja santa.  (If using dried hoja santa, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon over the chicken.) Fold together the sides of the tortilla to enclose the filling; it is not necessary to close the open ends.  Carefully place the filled tortilla lengthwise in the center of a corn husk.   Fold the sides of the husk together, taking care to keep it seam side up.

Place the tamales on the steamer rack, seam side up, stacking in layers as necessary but making sure that they lie flat on the rack.  Steam, tightly covered, over medium-low heat for about 30 – 35 minutes.

YIELD: 10 tamales (5 servings)

 

Ive had mole amarillo in Oaxaca in  only one of two ways: Quesadillas de amarillo made with Oaxacan string cheese and amarillo  in gigantic tortillas and in  the traditional Day of the Dead tamales made on corn leaves (not husks), Unlike regular tamales, these have no fat. a corn tortilla is topped with plain mole amarillo and folded over zigzag,

 

 

Amarillo I

Thick Yellow Mole

 

This is one of the seven major Oaxacan moles.  There are two main kinds, each with infinite variations. (If you ask ten Oaxacan cooks about mole amarillo, you will probably get 10 quite different recipes and also realize that no one bothers to use the full name — the informal “amarillo” is enough.)  One type, a dense, silky mole like a thick tomato sauce, usually functions as a filling.  The other is thinned to any consistency between a heavy batter and a soup, and serves as the basis of stews and braised meat dishes.  Actually, amarillo is not the only mole to be made with a lot of gradations between thick and thin.  As you work with all these sauces I hope you will learn to experiment with consistency — Oaxacan cooks usually start with a thick paste as the basis of a mole and thin it more or less, depending on the purpose.

The sauce won’t really be yellow.  It comes out more of an orange shade and then the green tomato dilutes the color a little.  It is light, tart and refreshing.  In contrast to some of the very rich and intense moles given later in the chapter.  The chile amarillo or chilcosle give a yellower color and were once common in this dish.  But today I find most people using the fleshier, darker guajillos.

My amarillo is based on a recipe from María de los Angeles Lagunas.  I like it because all the ingredients are readily available in the United States; also, the sauce has very little fat.  The thick version is my favorite.  But I follow it with a thin alternative in order to show the ways Oaxacan cooks work with a sauce.

3 guajillo chiles or use hot New Mexico dried red chiles, tops and seeds removed

1 ancho chile, tops and seeds removed

3 large tomatillos, with husks

1 large, hard green tomato

1 small onion, unpeeled

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

10 black peppercorns

8 cloves, or 1/4 teaspoon ground

2 tablespoons lard (preferably homemade, (see page 000), or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons masa (see page 000), fresh or reconstituted by mixing 2 teaspoons masa harina with 2 tablespoons water

 

Wash and griddle-dry the chiles by the directions on page 000.  Place in a small bowl; cover generously with boiling water and let soak for at least 20 minutes.  Drain the soaked chiles and reserve.

While the chiles soak, prepare the vegetables.  Using a griddle or cast-iron skillet thoroughly heated over low heat, roast the tomatillos, green tomato, onion, and garlic by the directions on page 000.  Remove each to a bowl to catch the juices as it is done and set aside.

Grind the peppercorns and cloves together in an electric coffee or spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.  When the roasted onion, garlic, and tomato are cool enough to handle, peel them over the bowl to catch the juices.  Place the vegetables in a blender with the drained chiles and ground spices.  Process to a smooth purée (about 3 minutes on high).  With a wooden spoon or pusher, force the purée through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl.

In a medium-size saucepan, heat the lard over medium heat until rippling.  Add the puréed sauce and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the salt.

In a small bowl, mix the masa with 1/2 cup water and whisk into the sauce.  Bring back to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is somewhat thickened and the flavors well blended, about 15 minutes.

The amarillo is now ready to use as a filling, a thick sauce for tamales, or an accompaniment to what strikes your fancy.  Mixed with shredded chicken and folded into tortillas, it is the filling for Empanadas de Amarillo.

YIELD: 2 1/2 to 3 cups

 

 

 

 

 

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