Tamales de Mole Negro con Pollo Deshebrado
Tamales en Hoja de Plátano: The Ritual of Wrapping
When you close your eyes and imagine the ultimate Oaxacan tamal, this is it. Impossibly soft masa gives way to the dark, complex depth of mole negro and tender chicken, all steamed inside a glossy banana leaf. Making proper mole from scratch takes three days, a stone metate, and an ancestral fire. You don't have that on a Tuesday night in Ohio, and you don't need it. The real secret modern Mexican cooks know is to buy a jar of the highest quality artisanal mole paste you can find and bring it back to life with rich chicken broth. Combine that with properly whipped masa and the thermal magic of the banana leaf, and you will produce a tamal that tastes exactly like the motherland.
Before you start
Prepare your steamer pot.
Fill the bottom of your vaporera or large steamer pot with water up to the fill line and drop a clean copper penny into the water before inserting the steamer basket.
Ingredients
- frozen banana leaves1 package
- artisanal Oaxacan mole negro paste1 cup
- chicken broth1 1/2 cup
- rotisserie chicken meat2 cup
- pork lard1 1/4 cup
- baking powder1 tbsp
- fine sea salt1 1/4 tsp
- coarse corn masa flour for tamales4 cup
- chicken broth2 3/4 cup
Method
- 01
Awaken the banana leaves over an open flame.
Pass each cleaned banana leaf rectangle directly over a medium gas flame or a hot, dry skillet. Within seconds, the dull leaf will turn a glossy, pliable emerald green; remove it immediately before it burns or turns brittle.
- 02
Resurrect the mole negro paste.
Whisk the mole paste and the 1 1/2 cups of room-temperature chicken broth together in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon, then fold in the shredded chicken and remove from the heat.
- 03
Whip the lard into a cloud.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the room-temperature lard on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until it transforms from a dense solid into a pristine, fluffy white cream.
- 04
Hydrate the masa carefully.
Turn the mixer to low, blend in the baking powder and salt, then alternate adding the coarse masa flour and the 2 3/4 cups of warm chicken broth. The broth must be warm; if it is cold, the lard will seize, breaking the emulsion and ruining your tamales.
- 05
Perform the float test.
Drop a half-teaspoon of the whipped masa into a glass of cold water. If it floats to the surface, you have trapped enough air; if it sinks, beat the masa for two more minutes and test again.
- 06
Assemble the carterita.
Lay a roasted banana leaf shiny side down on the counter. Spread a 5-inch square of masa in the center, top with two tablespoons of the mole chicken, then fold the left and right sides over the filling and tuck the top and bottom edges underneath to form a sealed, rectangular wallet.
- 07
Stack horizontally and steam.
Line the steamer basket with leftover banana leaf scraps and stack the tamales flat in a crisscross pattern so the rich mole doesn't leak out. Cover the top layer with more leaves, seal the pot with a lid, and steam over medium heat for an hour to an hour and a half.
- 08
Let the tamales rest.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the tamales rest undisturbed for 10 minutes. This allows the starches to set so the masa peels cleanly away from the banana leaf.
Notes
Listen to the penny.
As the water boils, the penny at the bottom of the steamer will rattle. If the rattling stops, your pot has boiled dry; add hot water immediately to avoid burning the tamales.
Sourcing the right masa is non-negotiable.
Standard tortilla masa will yield dense tamales. You must use coarse-ground corn masa flour specifically labeled for tamales.
Respect the lard.
Vegetable shortening will technically work if you have dietary restrictions, but you will completely sacrifice the deep, savory ancestral flavor of an authentic Oaxacan kitchen.
From Oaxacan Roots.