Tamales Native Delicacy
(Recipe of Levinia Fajardo Gonzales)

A tamale (Spanish tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli), is a traditional indigenous Latin American food consisting of steam-cooked corn dough (masa) with or without a filling. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheese (post-colonial), and sliced chillis or any preparation according to taste. The tamale is generally wrapped in a corn husk or plantain(post-colonial) leaves before cooking, depending on the region from which they come.

Their essence is the corn meal dough made from hominy (called masa), or a masa mix such as Maseca, usually filled with sweet or savory filling, wrapped in plant leaves or corn husks, and cooked, usually by steaming, until firm. Tamales were developed as a portable ration for use by war parties in the ancient Americas,^{[citation needed]} and were as ubiquitous and varied as the sandwich is today. The diversity of native languages in the pre-Hispanic America led to a number of local words for the tamal, many of which remain in use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale

Yield: 50 servings

Ingredients:

5 kilos grated mature coconut (niyog)
1/2c annatto seeds (atchuete)
1c water
500 mL cooking oil
3 bulbs of garlic, crushed
1-/2 to 3/4c fish sauce (patis)
1 kilo non-glutinous rice (soaked overnight then milled into medium thick consistency)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ kilo chicken breast, boiled and cut into strips
1 cup of peanuts fried with garlic
½ kilo of Purefoods Fiesta ham (a modification introduced by Wyatt, we wish we had salted eggs to enrich our personalized tamales)

Batter preparation:

1. Extract coconut milk (gata) from the grated coconut by pouring 2 to 3 cupfuls of tap water and then by squeezing the liquids out of the meat. Strain and set aside first extraction. Repeat to obtain up to four extractions. Note: Darang Lebing prefers to do the extraction by hand and refuses to use a muslin cloth (katsa).

2. In a small bowl, extract color from annatto seeds rubbing the seeds in tap water. Set aside.

3. Heat cooking oil in a large wok (kawa) using medium flame. Saute garlic in oil until golden brown. Strain and set aside garlic.

4. In the same wok, mix the annatto seed extract with the oil until slightly reduced.

5. Blend in the patis, wet-milled rice (tapong) and the coconut milk from the first to third extractions. Mix continuously scraping all sides to avoid scorching.

6. Add coconut milk from the fourth extraction should the mixture still be very thick.

Note: Darang Lebing knows better when to say it’s ready for wrapping. The amount of coconut milk to be added primarily depends on the rice starch composition, the amount of water added during wet milling and the yield from the coconut milk extraction. She says the mixture should leave a clear path when mixed.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly and Cooking:

1. Place two ladlefuls of tamales batter on center of prepared banana leaves. Top with slices of chicken, ham and ground peanuts.

2. Wrap Tamales in banana leaves and tie to secure.

3. Place tamales in a kawa lined with multiple layers of banana leaves. Pour water into the kawa. Place another pile of banana leaves on top and then cover the kawa.

4. Steam for one hour.

5. Cool before serving.

Thanks to Wyatt's Kitchen