INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Use fresh corn husks if available. Dried should be soaked 30 minutes
until soft.  FILLINGS: see Creamed Corn and Cheese and/or Black Bean
and Plantain  Tamale Filling  Place the water and butter in a saucepan
and heat until the butter  melts.  Place the masa harina, baking
powder, and salt in a large bowl and  stir with a fork to mix well.
Whisk in the water and butter, beating  well as you go, until you have
a mixture the consistency of a wet  cake batter. Don't worry if it
seems too wet at first; it will  thicken as you work.  Pour about 2
inches of water into a steamer or other large pot (see  Note) and bring
to a boil.  Shake the corn husks to dry them a bit. Select 12 husks
large enough  to roll into a tube 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter and lay
them out on  a counter. (Or select smaller husks and overlap two or
three for each  wrapper.) Place a full 1/4 cup of the batter in the
center of each  husk and press it into a rectangle about 4-1/2 by 2-1/2
inches and  1/4 inch thick. If filling the tamales, spread 2
tablespoons of the  filling down the center of the batter. Roll up the
husks lengthwise  to enclose the filling. Fold the pointed ends under
to the seam side.  Arrange the tamales, seam side down, in 1 or 2
layers on the steamer  rack or a plate. Set the rack or plate in the
pot and cover the  tamales with a thick layer of husks. Reduce the heat
to a simmer and  cover the pot. Steam the tamales until cooked through,
about 1 hour.  The filling will no longer be moist and sticky and will
pull away  from the husks.  Serve the tamales warm in the husks to be
unwrapped as eaten,  accompanied by the warm melted butter and cilantro
sprigs on the side.  Without filling: PER SERVING: 237 cals, 19.7 g fat
(72.6% cff)  NOTE: you can easily jerry-rig a steamer for tamales. You
need a  large pot with a lid, 1 or 2 cans, both ends removed, and a
plate or  rack that will fit inside the pot. Fill the pot with about 2
inches  of water. When ready to cook, set the cans in the pot to hold
the  plate above the water level Arrange the tamales on the plate, set
it  on the cans, and cover the pot.  (1995) ISBN 0-8118-0475-5
Chronicle Books, San Fran  Recipe by: Vegetarian Table: Mexico /
Victoria Wise  Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #924 by KitPATh
<phannema@wizard.ucr.edu> on Nov 25, 1997

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 172
Calories From Fat: 108
Total Fat: 12.3g
Cholesterol: 30.5mg
Sodium: 212.1mg
Potassium: 73.5mg
Carbohydrates: 14.8g
Fiber: 1.3g
Sugar: <1g
Protein: 2g