Welcome to a flavorful journey with Cooking Con Claudia! Today, I'm excited to share with you the secret to creating the most delectable Tamal Chile Verde. If you're on the hunt for an easy yet delicious recipe, look no further. These tamales are filled with tender pork shoulder and a vibrant green sauce, wrapped in soft corn husks and steamed to perfection. Gather your ingredients and let's embark on this culinary adventure together!
Ingredients:
- 7 lbs pork shoulder, with bone
- 1 whole onion
- 1 head of garlic
- 4 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
- 10 cups water (for cooking meat)
- 15 tomatoes
- 5 chili sanos
- 4 garlic cloves (additional for sauce)
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/2 small white onion (additional for sauce)
- 6 roasted and peeled Anaheim peppers or Hatch chilies
- A handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Cooking oil (for frying)
- 1.5 cups lard (for masa)
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 cups masa for tamales
- 7.5 cups of pork broth (from cooking meat)
- Corn husks, soaked overnight
- Salt (additional for masa)
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours (including resting time for the meat)
Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Equipment: Instant pot, blender, frying pan, steamer pot
Servings: Approximately 20-25 tamales
Instructions:
1. In your Instant Pot, combine the pork shoulder, whole onion, head of garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Cover with 10 cups of water and ensure the lid is set to sealing. Select the meat setting and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
2. Let the meat rest for 20 minutes post cooking. In the meantime, boil the tomatoes and chili sanos until soft, then blend them with the four additional garlic cloves, three whole cloves, half onion, the roasted peppers, cilantro, black peppercorns, oregano, cumin seeds, and salt to create a smooth green chili sauce.
3. Release any leftover steam from the Instant Pot, remove the pork, allow it to cool, shred it, and discard the bone and excess fat. Strain and reserve the pork broth.
4. Set a frying pan over medium-high heat with some cooking oil. Once hot, add the green chili sauce. Pour about 3/4 cup of the pork broth into the blender to get the remaining sauce, and add it to the pan. Simmer on medium-low.
5. Once simmered, taste for salt, adjust if necessary, and reserve some sauce for serving. Add the shredded meat to the sauce, and simmer again. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
6. For the masa, beat lard in a stand mixer at medium speed for five minutes. Reduce speed and add baking powder, then gradually add masa, alternating with 7 cups of pork broth. Beat for 15-20 minutes until fluffy. Test by dropping a piece in water; if it floats, the masa is ready. Rest the masa covered.
7. Prepare the steamer pot with water and a layer of corn husks to prevent tamales from getting wet.
8. Spread a layer of masa onto a soaked corn husk, add the meat and sauce mixture, wrap the tamale, and place it in the steamer.
9. Once all tamales are in the steamer, cook for about 1.5 hours or until the masa easily separates from the husks.
10. Serve the tamales with the reserved green chili sauce.
Cooking Tips:
- Shredding the meat while slightly warm makes the task easier.
- Allow the green sauce to cool before assembling tamales to prevent the masa from becoming too soft.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor with these moist, flavorful tamales that promise to be a crowd-pleaser at your next gathering.
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This recipe is brought to you by Cooking Con Claudia. Discover more delicious recipes on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CookingConClaudia
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