by Dawn Lewis

Created on: February 19, 2009   Last Updated: February 20, 2009

Tamales, and many other Mexican food dishes, have long been a staple of our diets. We love our foods, and especially those that contain Mexican spices to add zest to our diet. But foods like tamales are loaded with fat, mostly due to the masa that we use to make our beloved tamales.

The recipe I will share with you has been one I have tried many times, and continue to use today. It was important to find a way to keep the flavors of the tamale intact while reducing the amount of fat consumed by my family. So, this healthier recipe, thanks to the folks at Sunset Magazine, will help you to maintain your zest for Mexican food while reducing your consumption of the fat that can stay with us through the years.

First, before you begin, you need to assemble the ingredients. You can usually find cornhusks at your favorite supermarket, and you'll need to find masa harina, which is the dried powder form of masa, the flour if you will.

You'll also need to purchase your meat, either chicken, pork. or beef will work, and you'll need one pound of onions, 4 large dried ancho chiles, 2 cloves garlic and chicken or beef broth, depending on your meat choice. Now, we are ready to begin. We'll start with mixing the masa.

Masa:

4 cups masa harina

1 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups warm water

Mix together until moistened and keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

Filling:

4 large ancho chiles

1 can tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

1 pound onions chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

cup beef or chicken broth (depending on the type of meat)

3 cups shredded beef, pork or chicken

Place chiles in an oven safe pan and bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Let them cool, discard the stems and seeds, place chiles in bowl and cover with boiling water. Let that stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 12 inch frying pan combine onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice and your broth over high heat. Stir until onions start to brown, about 6 minutes. Add another cup of broth and heat until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with the broth two more times.

Drain your chiles, discarding liquid, and place chiles in a food processor. Blend until chiles are smoothly pureed. Add in the tomatoes and sugar and continue to process. Then, add the chile mixture to the onion mixture. Pour this over the shredded meat and mix thoroughly.

To assemble your tamales:

Separate the corn husks discarding any silks or other extraneous materials. You want to find corn husks that have a width and height of 8 and 10 inches. Soak these corn husks in warm water for about 15 minutes until they are pliable.

Spread your corn husk on a flat work surface and spread 1/3 cup of masa on the husk so that it is evenly spread across the bottom 2/3 of the husk from edge to edge. Place a 1/3 cup of the filling in the center of the masa covered husk. Fold in both edges of the husk over the filling and fold the top, where there is no masa, down over the edges of the husk.

Stack the tamales onto a wire rack in the pan you will be cooking them in allowing the steam to circulate through and around the tamales.

Note: you will need a pan that will allow you to fill the bottom with water, about 1 inches high, and with a rack in the bottom, keep the tamales above the level of the water.

Cook tamales over medium heat for 40 to 50 minutes checking the water level and maintaining at least an inch of water. Check the tamales for the masa to peel easily away from the corn husk. This will help you to know when they are done. Serve them hot, or allow to cool and freeze up to six weeks.

Enjoy this treat with lots less fat!

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