I grew up with tamales for xmas but I don't have any memories of anyone making them. My grandma and aunt used to make them when I was not around, so I never got a chance to catch their recipes or methods but I caught once that they purchased premade masa at the grocery story, which in Los Angeles would not have been unusual. After my aunt died, my grandmother would purchase tamales from neighbors or friends who made them and then after my grandmother died, my mom began to do the same thing-- purchase them from others who made them. My mom was not a cook. I started trying to figure out how to make tamales on my own once the girls were old enough to be able to help. I wanted them to have some of the traditions I had grown up with-- like tamales for xmas. I started my search for a recipe talking to my cousins, hoping one of them might have been witness to the process-- nope. My memories as a kid were of pork tamales with a lot of fat included. I recall my grandma telling me "I got a good one" when I complained about one tamale being filled only with fat and no meat. After my dad's heart attack I remember there being chicken tamale options instead of pork, but my favorite tamales were always the sweat ones with raisins and nuts.
I've posted about making tamales in the past (2019) (2008) but my recipes are evolving as we have become more health conscious and get more creative with our fillings! This year I used my traditional recipe 4 cups of masa, 4 cups of broth, 1 tb baking powder and 1 cup shortening with a veggie broth (not homemade) and vegan shortening. I thought the masa was a bit bland but I'm not sure if that's because my taste buds are getting old or if I just miss using meat based broth. This year we had 3 different flavors. I roasted poblano peppers and added sprinkled vegan mozzarella cheese. I fried up soy chorizo with peppers and onions, and I pressure cooked up some pinto beans that I refried and added in vegan cheddar cheese. I grew up with roasted Anaheim peppers used for salsa and cooking in California but my local grocery store did not have any available (not even in a can) so poblanos were the next best and I must admit, the pepper and cheese ones are my favorite with the most flavor! The bean option is definitely the most bland. This year I did not double wrap my tamales to steam since I wasn't giving any away nor did I tie color coded ribbons on any of them to identify them since we only made vegan options.
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