Tamales de Chipilin

Ingredients

• 700 g masa harina, or 1.2 kg fresh corn masa
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 900 ml warm chicken or vegetable stock
• 250 g lard
• 100 g chipilin leaves, picked from the stalks
• 12 banana leaf rectangles, about 25 cm by 20 cm
• kitchen string, for tying
• 500 g ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 200 g queso doble crema or queso fresco, sliced
• 120 ml crema

Before you cook

• Pick the chipilin leaves off their stalks, then rinse and dry them.
• Pass the banana leaves briefly over a gas flame or dip them in very hot water until they turn glossy and flexible, then wipe them dry.
• Mix the masa harina with the salt, baking powder and warm stock into a thick smooth batter and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Steps

1. Beat the lard in a large bowl with an electric whisk for 5 minutes, until it is white, light and roughly doubled in volume.
2. Add the masa to the lard in five additions, beating well after each, until the mixture is loose and airy.
3. Test it by dropping a small piece into a glass of cold water, and keep beating until the piece floats.
4. Fold the chipilin leaves through the masa until they are evenly spread.
5. Lay a banana leaf rectangle shiny side up and spoon 4 tablespoons of masa into the middle.
6. Spread the masa into a rectangle about 12 cm by 8 cm, leaving a wide border of bare leaf.
7. Fold the long sides of the leaf over the masa, then fold the ends underneath to make a flat parcel.
8. Tie the parcel loosely with string.
9. Wrap the rest of the masa the same way to make 12 tamales.
10. Stand the tamales upright in a steamer over 5 cm of boiling water, packed snugly so they hold each other in place.
11. Cover them with a damp cloth and a lid and steam for 70 minutes over a steady simmer, topping up the water when it runs low.
12. Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a dry comal for 8 minutes, until blackened in patches.
13. Blend them with a pinch of salt into a loose sauce.
14. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the sauce for 6 minutes, until it thickens.
15. Test one tamal by unwrapping it: the masa should peel cleanly off the leaf and feel set, not sticky.
16. Rest the steamed tamales for 10 minutes before opening the rest.
17. Open each tamal on the plate, spoon tomato sauce over it, lay on a slice of cheese and finish with crema.