To form the tamales, you can use presoaked corn husks or banana leaves. Usually about a quarter cup of dough will do. Spread it flat, making sure to leave some space around the edges. Put the filling in the center and then fold according to your recipe. You want to make sure the tamales are wrapped tightly enough that they won’t come apart when cooking, but also not too tight as they need a little room to expand.
Whether you are steaming, baking, or roasting the tamales, you’ll know they’re done when the husk peels away from the masa easily. At this point the dough may seem loose, but it will firm up after resting. You don’t want to overcook the tamales or they’ll turn dry.
Learning how to make tamales may start with one recipe and a few tips, but there are around 500 varieties of tamal in Mexico alone. Most often the base is a masa dough made with dried or fresh corn, and they are filled with salsa, meat, vegetables, cheese, or a combination. They’re usually wrapped in corn husks, but people also use banana, maguey, or avocado leaves, and sometimes even aluminum foil. The word tamal actually comes from the Nahuatl word tamalli, which means “wrapped.” They are steamed over an open flame in a pot or tamalera, a special vessel specifically made for steaming tamales. They are also cooked in pits underneath the soil and even grilled.
Here are a just few of the different types of tamales you can find in Mexico:
Zacahuil: This regional tamal prepared in the Huasteca Potosina is a celebratory dish that’s sometimes referred to as the king. It’s very large—about five feet long, weighing up to 30 pounds—and is cooked in a pit in layers of banana leaf.
Corundas: Triangular tamales from the state of Michoacán prepared since pre-Hispanic times by the Purépecha people. They are commonly topped with a little fresh crumbled cheese, crema, and a salsa.
Tamal Oaxaqueño: These Oaxacan specialities come wrapped in banana leaves. They’re often filled with meat (pork, beef, or sometimes iguana) as well as a salsa or mole.
Mucbil Pollo: The word comes from mukbil in Maya, which means “buried.” It’s a kind of tamal casserole made with banana leaves and a thick layer of masa, and it’s stuffed with a chicken-and-pork filling that has been cooked with achiote, spices, and habanero chile. Mucbil pollo is traditionally cooked in a pit, which explains the name.
Tamales Canarios: A sweet tamal from the state of Michoacán made from rice flour, egg, sugar, milk, and raisins, which is then wrapped in corn husks. The name comes from their yellow color, similar to the feathers of a canary.
Tamal de Chaya: These are made with a leaf called chaya that is used in sweet and savory Mayan preparations. The flavor is grassy and lovely. In Campeche, for example, the dough itself is mixed with chopped-up chaya leaf and filled with a minced meat picadillo. Another version is filled with a hard-boiled egg and toasted pumpkin seeds, then wrapped in chaya leaves. There are other versions also prepared in the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and Yucatán.
