This is a very simple recipe for masa, to make tamales.  Feel free to use this recipe as it is and fill your tamales with something as simple as cheese and a spoonful of salsa.  Or get creative and come up with something more daring like the chocolate tamales.  (When I make chocolate tamales I add chocolate ganache, coco powder and brown sugar to this basic masa recipe.)

For a slightly sweet masa, add a little bit of sugar.  If you add corn kernels to your slightly sweet masa it makes a great tamale also.  You can fill this masa, or when your tamales are ready to be served you can serve it with something like a tomatillo sauce (pg. 148 Isabel’s Cantina) spooned over the tamales.

BASIC TAMALE MASA
1 ½-cups masa harina
1/2-cup vegetable shortening (or other fat such as olive oil, corn oil, butter etc.).
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/2-teaspoon kosher salt
Approx. 2 cups water

Place masa harina, shortening, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand up mixer. With paddle going slowly, drizzle water while mixer is going.  Mix until combined.  Masa should have a very soft “play-doh” type consistency.  More or less water can be added to achieve desired masa consistency.

Coming Soon:  Step by step tamale filling photos.

For Love and Food,

Isabel Cruz