Mexican Tamale Recipes

Fresh Tamale Masa Recipe

by Margaret Zuniga-Healy

1/3 pound lard
1 pound fresh ground masa (unprepared)
Water or chicken broth, if needed
1 tablespoon salt

Beat lard with an electric mixer to aerate (approximately 2 minutes). Beat in small amounts of masa until all is incorporated into lard. Add a small amount of water or broth if needed. (This is a personal judgment call.) When masa is desired consistency, beat in salt. Test the masa for doneness by dropping a small amount in a glass of water. If the masa floats, the masa is done. Do not overbeat or the masa will become dry and hard. Refrigerate, covered, if not using immediately.

Fresh ground masa can be found in Mexican specialty stores or in your neighborhood grocery during the months of November-January. If you can't find fresh ground masa, try the Masa Harina Masa recipe.

Notes: Unprepared masa is only ground corn. It should not be premixed or contain lard or salt.
Shortening, unsalted butter or margarine can be substituted for lard if desired.

Yield: 1 dozen tamales
Prep Time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy

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