Red Tamales Recipe

Giselle Cruz Cardoza

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• Tamales Leaves (corn)

• 1 Pack of Instant Corn Flour

• 4 tablespoons of Salt

• ¾ of a gallon of water

• ¾ Lard

• Guajillo chili 2lbs

• Garlic Head

• Pork

• Green Tomatillos

• Cumin Spice

In a big bowl, pour the Instant Corn Flour, 4 tablespoons of salt, ¾ gallon of water, and ¾ tablespoon of melted lard. Mix and then knead the “dough” until it reaches a thick consistency. Now you have your dough for your tamales.

For the flavor of red tamales which is to give off a light spicy taste, you put 2 lbs of Guajillo chile into warm water to soak them and then add them to the blender along with 2 tomatillos, a piece of garlic, tablespoon of melted lard, and a teaspoon of cumin spice. Now you have your sauce to add to the pork.

You cook the pork head along with a garlic head and water, afterward, you rinse off the water when it's fully cooked, and you can shred the pork or cut it into small bite-sized pieces. You can now add the sauce and the pork together with a bit more melted lard.

Now that you have all the essential parts of the tamales ready, you get your washed tamale leaves and add the dough with a spoon evenly across the leave (normally a large spoonful). Next, you add a spoonful of the pork/sauce mixture to the tamale, wrap it up, and place it on a large steamer that has less than half of the water filled. Once all of your tamales are there, steam your tamales for about 30 minutes at a high temperature. Your tamales are now ready to eat!

*Notice: Tamales are cooked in many different ways, but this is the way my family has been making them for generations now.*