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Chef Azucena Tovar of Los Sombreros Mexican Café and Cantina in Scottsdale, Arizona shares her recipe for Green Corn Tamales. Tamales are always a favorite for the holidays!

Los Sombreros has been a favorite Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale for more than 20 years. Chef Tovar is also the owner and enjoys sharing her love for the Mexican food that was her mother's passion, cooking meals for her 12 children.

Tamales can be complicated to make correctly, and a steamer is required. Many local grocery stores, especially the ones that cater to Latino/a customers (Food City, for example), have prepared masa that you can buy, so you don't have to make it from scratch for this recipe. Corn husks are also readily available at many grocery stores in the Phoenix area.

Tamales can be frozen and enjoyed at another time, so it is common for people to make large batches. Make sure you steam them and let them cool before freezing. During the Christmas holidays it is also a common practice to give tamales as gifts. Fresh tamales are best if that's your plan.

See Also

Recipe: 12 Chile Slices and Fresh Corn Tamales

Recipe: Corn and Quinoa Tamales with Ceviche Stuffing and Chiptole Cream

Recipe: Green Chile Tamales

Ingredients

• 3 lb. masa for tamales
• 1 lb. lard
• 4 cups fresh corn
• 2 cups shredded jack cheese
• 2 cups roasted, peeled and diced poblano chiles
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 12 corn husks soaked in warm water

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes

• Total Time: 80 minutes
• Yield: 12 tamales

Preparation

1. In a mixing bowl, beat lard until light and fluffy with salt, sugar, and baking powder.

2. Bit by bit (think golf-ball size chunks), add masa. Add a little milk while adding the masa so the dough does not get too thick.

3. When all the masa has been added, continue mixing for about two more minutes until no chunks of masa are in the dough. You want it to be very smooth.

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon.

5. Clean and soak corn husks, shake off excess water.

6. Use a spoon to smear masa mixture into corn husks, then wrap it like a burrito into the the corn husks and then into an aluminum foil sheet.

7. Roll to close and fold up bottoms or tie ends off with strips of husk or string.

8. Place in your steamer standing up and steam for one hour. Make sure you have water in your steamer and check it often.

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Guide's Response to User Reviews
In response to the first comment here, this recipe was revised by the Chef in January 2009. - Judy Hedding, Your Guide to Phoenix, AZ