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Butternut Squash Mole Tamales


Tamales are made of corn flour dough stuffed with meat or vegetables, cheese, and sauce. Traditionally, they are wrapped in either a corn husk or banana leaf. Variations are found all over Central and South America, but most people are familiar with Mexican style tamales. They are especially common in Mexico during Christmas time. This unique recipe makes tamales filled with butternut squash, zucchini, and savory chocolate mole sauce. It also has corn kernels mixed into the tamale dough.
Found in: Latin America, Mexico
Categories: Main Dishes
Recipe credit: The Global Foods Online Kitchens
Image credit: Jason Coutermarsh Photography
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Buy the Tamales Making Kit from Global Foods Online!
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Our Tamales Making Kit contains the equipment and ingredients you need to get started making authentic Mexican tamales. The kit includes a masa spreader, which simplifies the task of spreading the dough on the corn husk. You will also receive a top-quality steamer designed specially for cooking tamales, corn flour you need to prepare the dough, and more! See the list at the bottom of this page for just a few of the types of tamales you can make with this kit. Buy it today and make your own tasty tamales or gift one to any home chef you know!

$56.00
 
Ingredients
  • About 2 dozen corn husks
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 cups corn masa flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 1 small fresh butternut squash or pumpkin
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup hot mole sauce

Instructions:
1. Soak corn husks in water for at least 2 hours.
2. Cut the squash or pumpkin in half and bake it face-down at 350 degrees for half an hour, or until it is tender.
3. Pulverize raw white rice in food processer. Adding rice to the dough will make the tamales less dense.
4. Combine pulverized rice, masa flour, salt, vegetable broth, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy. This dough is called masa, and it’s important to get it to the right consistency. If it’s too dry, add a little water, but not too much because the masa should be light, not dense or wet. ¡Masa matters! Add the corn to the dough and mix to combine.
5. After squash has baked, remove the peel and cut the squash into small cubes. Cube the raw zucchini also. Prepare filling by combining the squash, zucchini, and black pepper.
6. Rinse the husks as you pull them out of the water. Each corn husk has a shiny side and a dull side. You are going to want the dull side to face out, so you’ll spread your prepared masa on the shiny side of the husk. Using a masa spreader, spread the masa evenly, 1/8-¼ of an inch thick across the breadth of the husk, and from the top of the husk to about ¾ its length.
7. Place a few spoonfuls of the filling in the center of the masa. Keep the filling away from the edges.
8. If you are using bottled mole, mix 1 tablespoon mole with ¼ cup vegetable stock or water. Pour a little sauce on the filling, but not so much that it will leak out of the tamale. A teaspoon or two is enough for each one.
9. Fold the left side past the center and then the right side over it, wrapping the filling inside the masa. Fold the bottom part of the husk up so it creases about at the point where the masa ends inside the husk. Use strips of the husk to tie it.
10. In the bottom compartment of your tamales steamer, called a tamalera, pour about 2 inches of water. Place the rack into the tamalera and arrange the tamales with their tops of the pointing up.
11. Steam them over medium heat for about an hour. You will know they are done when you can stick a fork into the side and it comes out clean.
12. Enjoy the tamales with extra sauce for dipping.
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