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Vegan Tamales with Colorful Beans and Spices from Mexico

From Mexico
Tamales come from Latin America and are made of a corn-based masa dough, which is then boiled or steamed in a leaf wrapper of corn husk or banana leaf.

We are exploring a very tasty version of vegan tamales with two kinds of beans and spices that will surprise even your cheese-loving friends with it's rich and satisfying taste.

This recipe serves 2 and is borrowed from The Accidental Vegan cook book, which has many great ideas for vegan tamales, soul foods and any other dish you would like to veganize.

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of fresh corn - save the husks for the tamales wrappings
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups masa harina (you can find this in a Hispanic food store, or otherwise use yellow grits instead)
• 1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can organic pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 organic tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder (available in Indian or Asian food stores)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 Serrano chili, minced
• kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
• 1/2 cup of cilantro, freshly chopped
• black ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the water, salt, and olive oil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the masa or grits until a thick dough forms.
2. Once it has cooled down a bit, form the masa into 2-inch balls and set aside in a bowl.
3. Shuck the corn and wash the husks - keep them as wrappers for the tamales later. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and set aside.
4. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil to a small saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic. Then add the tomato, corn kernels, all beans, cilantro, and spices. Cook until the beans are hot and the corn has just a little bite left. Set aside.
5. Place one masa ball in the center of a corn husk and push a little dent into the middle. Fill one tablespoon of bean mix onto the top and then wrap the husk tightly around the masa and the filling. You don’t need to tie it, just tug-in the edges and place the small tamal package into a bamboo steamer. Repeat until you have one layer of tamales in your bamboo basket.
6. Use a wok or bigger pot and fill the bottom with water, bring to boil. Place the bamboo steamer over the water and cover it. Steam until the tamales are hot, between 3-6 minutes.

Unwrap your yummy vegan tamales and discard the husk wrappers. Enjoy them with a side dish of roasted sweet potatoes, avocado slices, or sautéed zucchini and squash.

Go back to top of Vegan Tamales page or look at our delicious Vegan Chile Relleno.