Ingredients and Tools
It is important to make sure you have, or can get, all of the ingredients you will need to make tamales. First, read through the recipe for dough to determine what you will need to get. Then, choose a filling and determine what other items you will need.
You will also need a large steamer in which to cook the tamales. this can be a special tamale steamer, or a large pot with a steaming basket in the bottom. Once you have the the steamer and the ingredients necessary you can begin making the tamales.
Time
Making tamales is not difficult, but it is a very time consuming process. It can take a whole day to prepare a batch of tamales. The dough itself doesn't take that long to prepare, but sometimes the filling will need to simmer for a few hours so the meats will become extremely tender. To save time, prepare the dough and fillings on one day and wrap and steam them on the next.
How to make a tamale
Start by preparing the dough . Next, prepare the desired fillings you are going to use. Then, prepare the corn husks and wrap the tamales. Steam them in a large steamer for 90 minutes.
Leftover tamales
They will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days or you can freeze them. They re-heat well in the microwave or a short time in the steamer.
How to serve a tamale
Traditionally a tamale is served plain, as is. Lately, a lot of restaurants serve them in a sauce that compliments the filling: for example, green chile sauce for pork or chicken, or a red chile sauce for beef. Sometimes tamales are served in the corn husks, and sometimes they are opened and removed for you. Experiment and find out how you prefer to serve them.
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