Thursday, November 12, 2009

Bean & Seitan Tamales



I like tamales. Traditional tamales like lard. Tamales without lard are hard to come by and are often too expensive and bland/janky for my tastes. I have made tamales many times before simply substituting corn oil for the lard and the end results were quite tasty. However, I knew they could be better, so this time I decided to use a room-temperature-solid fat to see if it yielded better results. Did it? Abso-tamale-lutely. I digress. I looked for inspiration here and here. But add some flair to accommodate the vegetarian palette.

Masa:
3 1/2 C masa harina
1 tsp each: smoked paprika, ancho chile, garlic and onion powder
1/3 C nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
2 C hot water
2 tsp baking powder
1 C non-hydrogentated vegetable shortening
1 1/2 C vegetable broth
1/4 C vegetable oil

Mix the dry ingredients together. Then begin to mix in shortening and oil. Then add Broth. Add water until the consitency is like a stiff cake batter.


Filling:
1 C refried/smashed beans
1 C seitan chopped (I used the kind I make in a slow cooker)
1/2 C corn kernels
1 bell pepper diced
1 onion diced
2-3 serrano peppers seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 bunch cilantro
3/4 C salsa verde
1 tsp smoked paprika

Cook the onions in some oil (2 T) until soft. Then add the garlic and chile and cook for one minute. Add spices and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.

Assemble the tamales as Chef Bayless suggests. I usually need to cook mine about 90 minutes. This might because I cram them into my pot and have a makeshift steamer.