Cuban Tamales
Ingredients
- 750 g pork stew meat (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 onion (large, finely chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (large, chopped)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 can tomato sauce (225 g)
- 3 cups hominy (fresh or frozen)
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2,5 cups masa harina
- 2,5 cups chicken broth
- 30 corn husks
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for frying)
- water (for boiling)
Instructions
- In a skillet, add oil and begin frying the pork to render the fat in the pan.
- In the same skillet with the pork fat, prepare a sofrito with the onion and red pepper over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and continue frying over low to medium heat for two to three minutes. Add tomato sauce and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- While the meat is simmering, process the corn kernels with the butter in a mortar or food processor until you have a thick, chunky consistency. Add the corn mixture to the masa harina and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the masa mixture to the meat mixture and stir until well combined, adding salt as needed.
- Use two corn pods per tamale, folding each one in the traditional way.
- Fill a large pot halfway with water. Boil your tamales until a fork inserted into them comes out clean, about 1 to 1½ hours.
- Your traditional Cuban Tamales are ready. Buen Provecho!
Note
Tamales taste better on the second day. Cook them the day before and let them cool until the next day.