x
Breaking News
More () »

Veggie, meat tamal recipe from CoraCora in West Hartford

CoraCora is a family-run Peruvian restaurant that was also a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restuarant and Best Chef - New England.

CONNECTICUT, USA — Chef Macarenda Ludena is the head chef and CEO of CoraCora in West Hartford and shares with us how to make tamales with your choice of veggie or meat filling! 

CoraCora is a family-run Peruvian restaurant that was also a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restuarant and Best Chef - New England.

RELATED: Sparrow Pizza Bar's arugula salad dressing and honey ricotta bruschetta recipe

Ingredients:

Yield: 20-24 tamales

Masa/dough (which is 100% vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free):

4-6 cups instant Corn Masa for tamales or Masa Harina (instant corn flour)

3-4 cups of vegetable stock/broth

2 cups of finely chopped red onion

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of Aji Panca paste/base

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1-2 teaspoons of salt

Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines 

Fillings:

Veggie filling:

2 cups of mixed vegetables or vegetables you have available in your fridge

1/2 cup of oat milk

1/2 tablespoon of Aji Amarillo paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Pork Filling:

2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder

1/2 of a red onion

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1/2 tablespoon of Aji Panca paste

- 2 tablespoons of oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

Sarza Criolla / Onion Salad

1 small red onion: chopped julienne style

2 small tomatoes cut in thin wedges

3 tablespoons of lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 cilantro sticks

RELATED: Meal House: Pink Lady Apple Croissants from Sift Bake Shop

Instructions

First, make the tamal masa/dough. 

In a large bowl mix the instant corn flour with vegetable stock.

In a large pot, mix the masa with red onion, garlic, Aji Panca, vegetable oil and salt, and let cook for 20-30 minutes while mixing.

To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of the masa and flatten it to about 1/4 inch thick in the center of a banana leaf. 

Put desired filling in the center of the dough. 

Lift up the two long sides of the leaf to help enclose the filling in the dough and fold the edges together. 

Then fold the remaining two sides over the top to create a roughly square parcel. Repeat for all tamales.

Time for Bain-marie (water bath). Place a round cooling rack on bottom and add boiling water into a Dutch oven.

Stand tamales on the rack, turn the heat to low, and let steam for 2 hours.

After tamales have finished steaming, unwrap and serve with Sarza Criolla/ onion salad.

---

Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com 

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS 

Download the FOX61 News APP 

iTunes: Click here to download 

Google Play: Click here to download 

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61. 

Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download. 

FOLLOW US ON TWITTERFACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM 

Before You Leave, Check This Out