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Vegetarian Tamales

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

 
Everything you’ve heard about tamales is true, folks. Yes, these Mexican culinary wonders are a lot of work, and they take a lot of time. On the bright side, the work isn’t difficult and boy, is it worth it in the end. Eating one tamale after the other (after the other) makes you forget about your aching feet and back. Then when you run out, you’ll start craving more and begin the process all over again.

Kind of like having children. But most days I’d rather make tamales than give birth.

Never heard of tamales? They’re little corn husk packets of steamed dough made from corn flour, filled (usually) with different types of meat and vegetables.

For my first attempt at tamales I opted for these Vegetarian Tamales submitted by TK member mommiecooks (Julie) who blogs at Mommie Cooks! I’m sometimes hesitant to try new techniques with large cuts of meat and thought this vegetarian version would be a good one to get my feet wet. I was surprised how good these tasted. I’m not a vegetarian myself, but I didn’t miss the meat at all!

Before I begin, I need to remind you that I am not a Mexican grandmother who has made tamales for 40 years. I am a 30-year-old gringo who’s made tamales only a couple of times, but hopefully I can show you that you don’t have to be a Mexican grandmother to make some great ones. (But if you find one who can help you, you’ll be in excellent shape.)

One of the keys to making tamales (in my gringo opinion) is organization and time management. If you go from zero to tamale with no breaks, you’ll be exhausted. Luckily the filling and masa dough can be made several hours (or a couple of days) ahead of time. Take advantage of that. And make a lot of tamales while you’ve got everything prepped. The last time I made these, I doubled the masa and made two different fillings. I’ve got a freezer full of low-maintenance meals that I can whip out during the week!

Okay, now that you’ve got a plan and several hours set aside, let’s get going!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

First, let’s make the masa. I loved Julie’s masa recipe. It was so flavorful! I think this will be my go-to recipe no matter what filling I make. You’ll need dried corn husks, vegetable broth, chili powder, corn masa flour, cumin, salt, baking powder, and a stick of butter. You can find the dried corn husks and corn masa flour in the Latin/ethnic aisle of a well-stocked grocery store. You could definitely find them at a Latin grocery store if your town happens to have one.

I also appreciated the use of butter in the masa dough as opposed to the traditional use of lard. Lard freaks me out. I wish they would call it something else. I’ll get over it eventually.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Cream the butter using an electric mixer or stand mixer.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the masa flour, salt, baking powder, chili powder, and cumin.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Add some of the vegetable broth.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Stir well to form a fairly stiff, but sticky dough.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Add this dough to the creamed butter.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Cream everything together, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary (the butter tends to stick to the sides and bottom), until you have a light, fluffy dough. Set this aside or cover and chill if you won’t be using it for more than a few hours.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Now for the filling! I made a few changes to Julie’s recipe (noted at the bottom of this post) and quite liked this combination of vegetables. You’ll need a bunch of fresh cilantro, cooking oil, chili powder, cumin, diced tomatoes, a few brown mushrooms, green onions, poblano peppers, salt, fresh garlic, lime, a small potato, and some shredded cheddar cheese. (As well as 1/4 cup of vegetable broth. Just pretend it’s sitting next to the oil.)

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

I’m mildly obsessed with roasting vegetables, so after I chopped the sweet potato and mushrooms and seeded and halved the peppers, I stuck them on a rimmed cookie sheet and roasted them at 425 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. (Peel the skin off the peppers and coarsely chop them after they’re roasted.) You could surely cook them in a skillet (per the original recipe), but if you’re using poblanos, you might want to reduce the amount. Roasting takes most of the heat out of them, and cooking them in a skillet may make the filling spicier than you anticipate.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

After they’re nice and roasted, throw them with the rest of the filling ingredients (except for the broth and cheese) into a large skillet and cook over medium heat until everything is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Add the vegetable broth and scrape any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Kill the heat, and stir in the cheese.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

Transfer to a bowl and set aside until ready to assemble the tamales. Cover and chill if it will be more than a few hours.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

At some point you’ll need to soak the corn husks. They need to be immersed in water for about 30 minutes so they’ll be flexible enough to work with. Because I made my masa dough and filling ahead of time, I soaked my husks 30 minutes before I started wrapping them. If you’re going from zero to tamale, you might want to do this first. My husks floated to the top of the bowl, so I used a large can of pumpkin to weigh them down. The original recipe only makes between 13 and 16 tamales, so don’t soak the whole bag. Be sure to throw in a few extras to tear up and use as ties and in case a few of them rip; 25 ought to suffice.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

When you’re ready to start the fun part (yes, it really is fun!), clean up your workstation and get everything organized. You’ll need the filling, the masa dough, the soaking husks, a place to put the finished tamales, and a few husks that have been torn into 1/2-inch strips to use as ties. I also used a towel to place the husks on and dry them off when they come out of the water bowl.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

There are several ways to wrap tamales. I’ll show you two. This first way is definitely the easiest and the best way to use smaller husks that aren’t very wide or long. (You can also overlap husks if you don’t want to make really small tamales.)

First spread a 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls of masa dough in the center of the tamale, leaving a narrow border on each side. I found that using wet fingertips was the easiest way to spread the dough. It’s pretty sticky. Then put a spoonful of filling down the center of the dough. Fold the sides in (or roll like a burrito), then twist the ends and secure them with a husk tie or some kitchen twine.

See? Not so bad!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

This next one was my favorite because they look like little packages when they’re tied. This method was much easier with large husks, but you could surely twist and tie the ends as well. First spread the masa and filling like the previous method, and bring the sides to the center. Then, fold the bottom of the husk to the center and fold down the top part of the husk to the center. Secure with a piece of kitchen twine from top to bottom or side to side, depending on your preference and the size of your husk.

Adorable.

Repeat, repeat, repeat! Now is the time to have some good music, your comfy crocs, and a few extra hands to help.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

When you’re finished, you’ll have a tray (or two) of finished tamales. (I doubled the recipe, which is why I ended up with so many.) Some will be small, some will be big, some pretty, some will look like you had a toddler helping out. That’s perfectly fine. They’ll all taste great!

At this point you could stick them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze them if you like.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

One of the reasons I never made tamales until now was because I don’t own a steamer. Julie suggested taking a big pot, adding a couple quarts of water and steam them in a metal colander nestled inside. Brilliant! My colander wasn’t wide enough, so I sealed the edges with aluminum foil to hold the steam in. It isn’t pretty, but it did the job.

Julie says to steam them for 90 minutes over medium-high heat, adding more water as necessary. If you have a proper steamer, I imagine they’d be finished in less time. Add an extra 15 minutes or so if they’re frozen. You don’t need to thaw them ahead of time.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Vegetarian Tamales. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Julie of Mommie Cooks.

All your hard work will finally pay off as you bite into these tender, moist, flavorful little packets. Serve them with the traditional side of rice and beans, some salsa, and a dollop of sour cream, and you’ll wonder where this meal has been all your life. Seriously.

Julie, thank you for a great recipe and sharing your tamale wisdom! Visit her blog, Mommie Cooks, for more for her family-friendly recipes.

 
Recipe alterations: I omitted the zucchini and the fresh tomatoes and replaced it with 3-4 large brown mushrooms, 1 small sweet potato, 2 poblano peppers, and 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained. The altered filling made more than the original and needed 1 1/2 times the masa recipe.

 
 

Printable Recipe

Vegetarian Tamales

See post on mommiecooks’s site!
4.66 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 5

Prep Time:

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Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 16

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Description

A delicious vegetarian take on a Mexican classic.

Ingredients

  • 1 package Corn Husks (about 40-50 Husks)
  • _____
  • FOR THE DOUGH:
  • 2 cups Masa
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¾ teaspoons Salt, Divided
  • 2 teaspoons Cumin, Divided Use
  • 2 teaspoons Chili Powder, Divided Use
  • 2-¼ cups Veggie Broth, Divided Use
  • 1 stick Butter
  • _____
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 1 whole Zucchini, Chopped
  • 3 whole Green Onions, Chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Oil
  • 1 bunch Cilantro, Chopped
  • 2 whole Roma Tomatoes, Chopped
  • ½ whole Lime, Juiced
  • ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Start off by soaking your corn husks in water for at least 30 minutes.

Grab a bowl and add in the masa, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of both the cumin, and chili powder.

Now add 2 cups of the veggie broth to your mixture and form a dough.

Pop your stick of butter into your mixer and whip it up for a minute or so. Add the masa dough in and mix it up well again. Set your finished dough aside and let’s move on to the filling.

Grab your saute pan and cook up your zucchini, green onions, and garlic on medium heat in the Tablespoon of oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Now add in the rest of your broth (1/4 cup), the cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice, and the remaining cumin, chili powder (1 teaspoon each) and salt (1/4 teaspoon).

Stir it together and add in the shredded cheese.

Grab one of your soaked corn husks and slather a good amount of the masa mixture on top.

Now, take a spoonful of your veggie filling and place it down the middle third of your tamale. Make sure to leave a bit of space at the ends.

Wrap it up like you would a burrito and tie off the husk. I used another corn husk to tie it up.

Grab a big pot, add about 2 quarts of water and steam those beautiful rolled up veggie delights for about 90 minutes on medium high heat. I didn’t have a steamer that big, so I used my large stock pot and placed my noodle strainer inside of it with the pot cover over the top. Make sure that your tamales aren’t touching the water.

While the tamales are steaming, periodically check your water level to ensure you don’t boil it all away!

Pull one out after 90 minutes and unwrap it to see if it’s cooked through. The masa should be firm.

 
 
_______________________________________

Be sure to check out Natalie’s own beautiful food blog, Perrys’ Plate, where you can see her growing collection of lovely recipes. There’s always something new to see there. Go visit now!

 
 

58 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

April on 4.19.2011

Totally Eat the husk…….it’s awesome!

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adeline73 on 4.18.2011

yum!

Kristin Kavanagh on 3.15.2011

The smell, the warm air, the birds. oh my, it was all waiting under three feet of snow!

Terry Goodman on 3.15.2011

The best thing about spring is the new life all around us. Animal and plant life. The green sweet smell of spring.

Sharon Sunshine on 3.15.2011

I love the New Beginnings everywhere; in the lives of my friends & family and in the land all around me; and in the animal kingdom.

Karen on 3.15.2011

I live in Florida where the weather is always beautiful so the #1 reason I love spring is the return of daylight savings time.

tammy person on 3.7.2011

These were great…I made a few modifications of my own based on what I had in the house…I added shredded chicken (as I have a house full of boys who can’t possibly think of eating a meal without meat!) and used a white instead of green onion as well as a mixture of cheddar and mozarella cheese.

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Georgie on 3.6.2011

Gulp, yum!

tulsamom on 3.5.2011

If you use lard then they won’t be vegetarian. You need to use something like Crisco that doesn’t have any animal fat in it.

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 3.3.2011

Good luck strandjss – enjoy your break!

@Donna – Thanks so much for the brilliant tip! Much easier than lifting the bowl out every time to check and losing steam. :)

Donna on 3.3.2011

I love making tamales! Be careful when steaming them though, as the water can run out easily. Put a penny in the water and you will hear a faint “clink” as it boils. When you don’t hear the clinking better get water in the pot fast!

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strandjss on 3.3.2011

Thank you Natalie. Off for spring break next week (I work at a college) so this is top on my list of projects for next week.

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 3.1.2011

strandjss – I don’t believe it matters. I soaked mine in cold tap water and they did just fine.

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strandjss on 3.1.2011

Question: Should the water for soaking the husks be warm or does it matter?

Thanks

Tina on 3.1.2011

Tamales are one of my favorite things in the whole world but I have never tried to make them. In my home town we had a tamale factory (Truzzolino’s Tamales) it is long since gone but was one of the best things about growing up in Montana. To this day there isn’t a tamale that I have tasted that can match them. They were turkey tamales with lots of sauce…wonderful.

Jessy Garcia on 3.1.2011

Great to see everybody in the tamal making spirit! Wohooo… Just passing on the right spelling on tamal, tamale, tamali..

One piece: tamal

More than one: tamales

Tamale: doesn’t exist!

Enjoy!

Terry on 2.28.2011

Man those look awesome!! Brings back great memories of me and my Dad waiting in line for the ferry in Galveston, TX. They would sell tamales by the side of the road. I never thought of going Vegetarian HUM… Wheels are turning… Thanks for the memory

sarah on 2.28.2011

ahhh man these looked so good. Til I saw you didnt use lard. Come on Pioneer girl they arent tamales if they arent made with lard!

Ade on 2.28.2011

Oh I must make these soon…

Lola Mae on 2.28.2011

My daughter-in-law and I can’t wait to try these together!

Amanda on 2.27.2011

No stand mixers allowed when we make tamales with our family! A giant mountain of masa, lots of lard, and lots of hands in the mix is the only way to go! But if you’re not making 40 dozen I can see how a stand mixer might be a great option :-)

Theresa R. on 2.27.2011

One suggestion is to soak the husks in hot or warm water for about 30 minutes before using and spread the masa on the slick side for easy removal. If you spread on the rough or hairy side, the masa will stick.

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.26.2011

VA & Ranay – Thanks for the info!

Ranay on 2.26.2011

Tamales are not only Mexican, it is like saying cookies are only American. Tamales are cooked all throughout Central America, each country has different fillings and sizes- just like cookies!

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rainydaybp on 2.26.2011

Thank you for providing this recipe. This is something that I have wanted to make for a long time, now I can!!!!!!

VA on 2.26.2011

Lots of my Spanish relatives don’t make them, but my mom who is gringa learned from my Spanish great-grandmother. We love to use the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. And we used to get together with family and make 50 to 75 dozen tamales at a time. It requires lots of preparation and hard work. We have also made them with just cheese and red or green chile. Our favorite is turkey and red chile.

We roll them up, fold one end over and stem them with the open end up. No tying – it’s faster that way.

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fruitcakesinthekitchen on 2.26.2011

This recipe just caused me to throw away my menu plan for tomorrow and head to the store. I need a cooking challenge!

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.26.2011

Linda W – I believe they’re El Guapo. Yes, they were very clean!

SusanP in ON – I believe you could do that! I was wondering the same thing myself. After you dried them, I don’t think freezing would be necessary. They probably won’t fit in a nice little package like the store-bought ones either. I re-dried some soaked ones that I didn’t use and they curled a little, making them impossible to stack without breaking. It’s possible, though! Give it a whirl :)

SusanP in ON on 2.26.2011

AbbieD, thanks for asking…you beat me to it!
Another question-from someone who lives in the great white north and may have seen a tiny bag of mesa flour she could buy but NEVER corn husks…could I save what we rip off the ears in August, dry them and freeze them for future use?

Linda W. on 2.25.2011

Natalie, what brand of husks did you use. They seem very clean but the ones I used today were kind of dirty.

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.25.2011

Tammy N. – I rest my case! haha.

mommiecooks – You’re very welcome, Julie. Thank YOU for the recipe and for answering my questions! Everyone who tried them loved them! (And I still have some in the freezer. Mmm…)

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mommiecooks on 2.25.2011

Natalie,

Thanks sooo much for the feature! I have to say, your version looks even more delicious than the original. Gorgeous finished product. You have me craving another batch!

Tammy N. on 2.25.2011

Great recipe. But, in the intro, I think you meant to say GringA, not Gringo (you’re female)

Nana K on 2.25.2011

These sound wonderful – I so enjoy eating tamals.

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.25.2011

HowSweetEats – Jessica, did you know there are sweet ones, too? You could put chocolate in them. That might be a good one to break you in. :)

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HowSweetEats on 2.25.2011

I’ve never had a tamale! I know… the horror!

Kris at suckerpunchdebt on 2.25.2011

These look wonderful! Growing up, we made these with pork and a quick tip: once filled, we folded them lengthwise (overlapping) then folded the ends under eliminating the need to tie them. Steamed, then froze.

Jane on 2.25.2011

I use my rice cooker because I don’t have a proper steamer either, and they come out great. Also good to use when you get these frozen gems out of the handy-dandy freezer!

Wenderly on 2.25.2011

What a gorgeous package all wrapped up nice and neat just waiting to dazzle with a colorful array of yummy veggies inside!

I love it!

Beja on 2.25.2011

I absolutely LOVE Mexican food, but sometimes the veggie options are limited. Can’t wait to try this!!!!!!

Zita DeGraffenreid on 2.25.2011

These look so good! Can’t wait to try them. The filling would be yummy wrapped in a corn tortilla, too.

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crystalscozykitchen on 2.25.2011

I made tamales for the first time last fall and I’m really wanting to make them again. I love this vegetarian recipe.

katalia on 2.25.2011

Oooh, I will have to try this recipe.

My Mexican mother-in-law and I made vegetarian tamales this year for my vegetarian husband. It was so great to be in the kitchen with her, learning her secrets, and doing something for someone we both love (her son). A truly special time!

Natalie @ Perrys' Plate on 2.25.2011

Bonnie & Linda W – Great timing!!

Jane – Thank you for the tip! I was hoping someone who had actually made them with a Mexican grandma would post some tips. :) I remember seeing that tip in my tamale research, but forgot to mention it in the post. Thanks!!

Jacqueline on 2.25.2011

I am so excited to see vegetarian tamales – thanks a bunch for posting this. I will post a review after I’ve made these.

Jane on 2.25.2011

We make tamales with our little Mexican grandmother (my MIL)
and I need to pass on a tip – spread the masa on the smooth side of the husk. The outside should be the “ridged” side. The back of a soup spoon works well as a spreader. I will sure try this filling! Our favorite to date is venison and pork. Oh and don’t go hatin’ on lard.
It makes a light fluffy masa!

Linda W. on 2.25.2011

Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw today’s recipe. I slow cooked beef all night and am already soaking husks. My second attempt at tamales was already in the works. Guess great minds do think alike.

bonnie on 2.25.2011

what a timely post. the houston chronicle did a story on tamales http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/food/7339010.html and included what looked to be a wonderful recipe and I have been psyching myself up to try it. We actually found the best tamales a couple of years ago that were homemade – probably by a mexican grandmother at a local store, big honking ones full of meat and a flavorful masa, with the most delish green and red sauce to accompany them… come to think of it , I may have to order some in the name of research… yeah… that’s it.

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Megan {Country Cleaver} on 2.25.2011

Ooo Natalie these look so wonderfully yummy!
A coworker’s sister takes orders every week for us here at my job site and they are so wonderfully delicious. I have always wanted to know how to make them myself – I think this will give me the gumption to adventure into making these myself! :)

Wonderful post! ~Megan

Jean F on 2.25.2011

I adore tamales. Always been too chicken to make them. May have to try this recipe. My stepdaughter (a culinary school grad) says they’re easy to make.

thanks for the masa recipe. I’ve bookmarked it.