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Tamales Colorados (Red Chile Tamales)

Tamales made with no fat!! Now that I have your attention, yes, it's true!!! I am the most skeptical person when it comes to messing with traditional recipes. As they say, "If it isn't broken, why fix it," but the curious person in me just had to find out. They say that fat is flavor, but in this case I removed the fat and added a ton of flavor with the chile colorado sauce. I had always dreamed of being able to enjoy tamales without the guilt that came along with it, ha ha... I could just hear my Papi now: "Ay mija, you need the manteca (lard) to make good tamales!!" I think my parents would have been pleasantly surprised.

This masa recipe yields 3 dozen medium tamales.

Ingredients:

5 cups masa harina
1¼ cups chile colorado sauce
3½ cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 large russet potato or 4 new potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups chicken broth

For Chile Colorado Sauce:
12 dried New Mexico or guajillo peppers
4 cloves garlic
½ tablespoon crushed cumin seeds
½ tablespoon crushed Mexican oregano
1½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt, about 1 teaspoon

The masa resting before being mixed with the whipped potatoes and broth... I love the bits of chile ...

Directions:

1. Start by making the chile sauce. Remove all the seeds and stems from the dried chiles, transfer to a glass bowl. Add the garlic and cover with water. microwave for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from microwave, cover and let cool.

2. In a medium pot, add potatoes, fill with just enough water to cover. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are fork tender.

3. Now that peppers and garlic have cooled slightly, drain all the water and transfer to a blender, add remaining ingredients for chile sauce and blend until smooth, taste for salt. Set aside.

4. While potatoes are cooking, in a bowl combine the masa harina, salt and baking powder. Gradually add in the water and chile sauce until the dough forms. It's best to get right in there and use your hands to mix the dough. The dough is ready when it stops sticking to your hands. If it seems too dry add a little more water. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

5. When potatoes are ready, drain all the water, reserving 2 tablespoons it. In a large bowl, add the potatoes, water from potatoes and with a hand mixer whip the potatoes until fluffy. Alternate adding the masa and the chicken broth a little at a time until the dough is smooth like frosting. Cover and set aside.

6. While the masa is resting, soak corn husk in hot water for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. When ready, as you pick your husk, you are looking for one that is no more than 4 inches across. Spread with about 4 tablespoons of masa, fill with your favorite meat or veggie filling, then close and seal. Steam for 1 hour, making sure you never run out of water. Remove from heat and let the tamales rest for a good 30 minutes. This masa recipe yields 3 dozen medium tamales.

Fill tamales with your favorite veggies or meats....this is a chicken with peppers and onions cooked in a little chile colorado sauce.

Not everything is glamorous when cooking: I quickly learned that my bowl was too small for the job at hand! A Kitchen Aid mixer would have been nice for this job!

I made two dozen filled with chicken and the last dozen I filled with roasted chile verde, rajas, queso fresco and jalapeno strips. Served them on a bed of chile verde sauce, topped with more queso fresco and avocado slices.

Other recipes by Sonia:

Mexican Red Rice
Annatto-Citrus Marinated Chicken
Chile Relleno with Serrano Shrimp
Crab Cakes with Habanero Slaw
Cheesy Chorizo Bread
Flank Steak Tacos
Frijoles Borrachos con Chorizo
Buffalo Chicken Flautas
Chile Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
Avocado Fries
Chicken Enchilada Soup with Chayotes
Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chip Chimichangas

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Tags: Tamales, fat, guajillo, lard, masa harina

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Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on December 19, 2012 at 6:39am: All of my favorites!!!! I ran out of green chile...will have to make a trip to the store today....:)

Comment by Lemoncello on December 18, 2012 at 9:00pm: Pork, and chili cheese and corn. The recipe for the latter is here on HK.

Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on December 18, 2012 at 8:55pm: Lemoncello, what kind do you usually make??

Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on December 18, 2012 at 8:54pm: I made a batch of this masa a few weeks ago for Richard and me....but tomorrow will be making the real deal for some friends and some of my husbands co workers...will sneak a few for me, LOl!!!

Comment by Lemoncello on December 18, 2012 at 8:52pm: Oh yeah, it's that time of year again. I have been thinking all week of what kinds of tamales I want to make this year. But I am going to try this masa recipe if I do. Just to compare. Of course, even that will depend, our familia is only visiting for a short while this time around. But I am so craving fresh tamales.

Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on December 18, 2012 at 5:50pm: Oh wow Elva!!! Let me think about that for a little bit, ahhahah...I am not use to cooking in big quantities like that anymore....I will calculate a little and message you a later tonight....:)

Comment by Elva Morales on December 18, 2012 at 5:29pm: Heloo Sonia...I have a question if I wanted to use 30 lbs of masa how much of the carne, chiles, etc would I need to use?

Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on August 21, 2012 at 11:57am: Looks like it's going to be tamale Tuesday today!!!!

Comment by Sonia Mendez Garcia on July 14, 2012 at 8:05am: Yes...yes, I do....

Comment by Lemoncello on July 13, 2012 at 10:41pm: laughing, so you remember that commercial...

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