Peruvian Tamales Recipe

The Peruvian Tamales They occupy a very important place within the culture, customs and gastronomy of Peru, so it is necessary to highlight their invention, preparation and even their presentation before being able to taste it.

These little ones, which serve as a main dish or as snacks in a meeting, they are a marvel of peruvian cuisine, because they delight and supply their own and visitors in the simplest way and, in addition, they make each one fall in love with their seasoning and aroma.

However, at this time we not only want to give you a review of how rich and charming the Peruvian Tamales, but we want to invite you to be able to do them on your own from hand to hand easy and extraordinary recipe that we present to you below.

Peruvian Tamales Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg of corn flour
• ½ kg of chicken or pork meat in pieces
• ½ tbsp. of chili nomoto
• ½ tbsp. of salt
• ¼ tbsp. of pepper
• 2 tbsp. ground red chili or panca chili
• 1 tbsp. of yellow chili
• 1 pinch of cumin
• 1 cebolla great
• 8 olives
• 4 eggs, boiled and cut into halves
• 50 gr of roasted peanuts
• 200 gr of vegetable shortening
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cups of water or chicken broth
• 8 large green banana leaves

Materials or utensils

• Skillet
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Bimini
• absorbent cloth
• Wooden spoon or trowel
• Wick or wool thread
• Big pot
• Flat plate

Preparation

1. Step 1. The dressing

Start this recipe by preparing the dressing. To do this, in a skillet over medium heat heat the butter until it dissolves. While you wait for the butter, grab a knife and cutting board and head to peel and chop the onion into small pieces.

Once the onion is chopped, add it to the butter together with the yellow chili, the crowned chili and the nomoto, the cumin, the salt and the pepper. Stir well and let fry for 5 minutes.

When everything is well integrated, pour the pieces of chicken or pork into the pan. Let them brown a bit and then add a cup of water or chicken broth and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes. During this time it is essential that you constantly check the preparation so that it does not burn.

Already cooked the chicken or the pork, remove from dressing and place on plate. Save them for later.

• Step 2. The dough

Take the pan with all the remaining sofritos inside and add the cornmeal and oil. Move in an enveloping way and with great force (helping with a palette or wooden spoon) so that the dough does not clump or stick inside.

If you notice that the dough was hard and cracked, add a little more remaining broth. Rectify the seasoning and if necessary, add more salt and seasonings.

• Step 3. The leaves

Take the leaves and rinse them with enough water and a little soap, this to remove impurities or foreign dirt.

Then with a cloth dry both sides of the sheet. But if they are still wet, let them drain separately on a clean surface.

Next, turn on the stove and place a griddle or a new skillet to heat. Take a banana leaf and place it on top of the griddle until it turns bright green. Repeat this action for both sides of the sheet.

When finished, let them cool and cut them into squares of 20 x 20 centimeters or by the length that you deem convenient according to the natural size of the leaf you have.

• Step 4. Armed

When you have the dough, the chicken or pork and the leaves ready, you can start the assembly of the Tamale. For this step first you must provide the dough in 8 buns of the same size.

Take a banana leaf and spread some olive oil on it. At the same time, grab a ball of dough and roll it out like a tortilla (not so thin) on top of the sheet.

En all half of the tortilla place a piece of chicken or pork, a piece of egg, an olive and two peanuts.

• Step 5. Wrap

Once the Tamale is assembled, take a tip of the sheet, bring it to the end of the tip of the front and wrap towards the center the leftovers of the sheet. Tie them with a wick or wool thread so that all the holes are sealed.

Carry out this procedure with all the Tamales that you assemble. Keep them in the fridge.

• Step 6. Cooking

In a large pot place all the Tamales, one on top of the other and cover with water.

Let them cook for about 2 hours or until they begin to give off their scent. After the time, remove them from the water and let them cool to room temperature.

• Step 7. Tasting

When you notice that the Tamales no longer give off steam, remove the thread and carefully open the sheet. Serve them with the leaf (as a decoration) or without it on a plate and accompany with slices of bread or salad.

Tips and recommendations to make good Peruvian Tamales

• So that the banana leaves are more flexible and do not split, previously heat them on top of a frying pan, griddle or similar utensil until they turn bright green.
• To know when the dough is ready, take out a spoonful and wait for it to cool down, If the dough doesn't stick to your hands, it's because it's ready.
• Note that You must tie each Tamal with enough force so that no water enters them and spoils them.
• You can cook the Tamales in a steamer or steamer. Also, if you cook them in a wood stove or stove, the taste will be indescribable.
• If you want the Tamales to have a stronger color, you can add more red pepper and yellow pepper, so that it stains and marinates both the dough and the filling.
• Tamales can be varied or mixed, that is to say that they are also usually prepared with pork, fish and meat under this same recipe.
• In case you want a spicy Tamal, you can add a little spicy green chili
• Accompany the Tamales with a rica creole sauce and a jumble of finely chopped onion, ingredients that will give a fresh and acid touch to the preparation.
• Serve each Tamale with a portion of French bread, ceremonial bread or three points. Likewise, court with a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of natural juice.

saucer history

Peruvian Tamales have a pre-Columbian origin, but its existence is linked to the contribution of the Mexicans. That said, the word Tamal (or Tamalli) originates from the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Mexicas.

However, the Tamal, within some areas of Peru, it is usually called humita, a word from the Quechua language, but it is not very recurrent so, in general, it is called Tamal.

Its beginnings within Peru are not written or formally formulated, so there are several theories that support this situation. On the one hand, there is the existence of the Humitas in the Andean region long before the arrival of the Spanish, from pre-Columbian times. But, on the other hand, there is a theory that leans with the introduction of this preparation by the African slaves who came with the Spanish during the conquest.

However, all these are just hypotheses that have come to light due to stories and investigations by people who are looking for the true origin of the saucer. But, as is known, el main ingredient is corn, originally from America, specifically from Mexico and Peru, so it could be deduced that then Peruvian Tamales are a native production of the area.

Categories Tamalis Peruvian

In Peru there are different quantities of Tamales, which vary depending on the region, the ingredients and even the cooking method, characteristics that make it a unique and diverse dish within its own gastronomy of Inca origin.

Some types Peruvian Tamales according to their specific qualities are described like this:

• By region:

Depending on the region where we are standing in Peru, Tamales are classified in:

• From the Central and Southern Coast: They are made with beef, pork or chicken. Some add boiled eggs, olives or roasted peanuts.
  • From the north coast: Here they are prepared with coriander, which makes them take a particular green color. They are called the Green tamales.
  • From the Sierra: They are made only in the style of the Pachamanca Peruvian.

• By ingredients:

Tamales vary according to the ingredients used within the area, departments, cities or communities of Peru. To name some of the ingredients used you have to take into account the place of origin of the tamale, so some of the general ingredients would be:

• Tamales made with yellow corn wrapped in banana leaves.
  • Tamales with white corn, mote or dried corn.
  • Tamales with sweet corn or choclo: green corn in grains of milky state.
  • sweet tamales with brown sugar or chancaca, those who call him humitas.
  • Tamales piuran greens, which have ground coriander in the dough, which gives it a special flavor.
  • Humitas de yuca tamales, called chapanas.

• By shape and size:

In this classification the Tamales are shown according to their sizes and shapes according to the region. For example, in the South Zone: Mala, Chincha, Pisco and Ica, they make them in giant sizes, for each Tamal weighs more than two (2) kilos. Likewise, the cooking technique varies as follows:

• El Shatu They make it boil in a pot, placing at the base the crushed sweet canes (Urwas) of the maize, specially selected called (Wiru).
  • La Qanq'a It is cooked on an iron plate, comal, frying pan or special clay plate called Q'analla, also cooked directly on the grill.

• By fillings:

The Tamales of Peru do not have fillings, however, depending on the region, it is possible to find some elements inside, such as:

• Stewed pork or chicken, sometimes with game
  • Beef
  • smoked serrano ham
  • Hard-boiled egg
  • Olives
  • Raisins, peanuts, peanuts or pork rinds.

• per wrapper

In the Norte Chico zone, as Ancash, (place near Lima), another type of Tamal is given, this varies according to the way of wrapping with the corn husks, that is, the Tamal is wrapped flat, which has a completely different flavor called Shatu.

Another variant of Unwrapped tamale, it is called Tojtochi and predominates in the Sierra del Sur of the country, mainly in Puno.

The white tamal from Cusco, the northern green and the yellow, are made with very fine corn flour, ground in a stone mill. These can be stuffed or not and they are wrapped with the green leaves of the cob and steamed. Each Tamal is small in size, they are special for parties as appetizers, sandwiches (snacks); They can be sweet or savory, spicy or mild.