Category:
Main Courses

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January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Courtesy of Liz Peña

This is my great-grandmother’s recipe. It’s really similar to Edu’s but has proportionally more lard. This recipe makes three electric stand mixer bowls’ worth of dough, using a little over a pound of masa each round.

Easy

3 1/3 pounds (approximately) freshly ground, unprepared
masa
Pork broth (or chicken or beef)
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/3 pounds (approximately) lard

Masa 2 Directions

Place the masa in a big bowl. Add the broth, baking powder and salt. Begin to mix, then add the lard and mix for one hour, or until the masa is fluffy. (The trick here is that a pinch will float in a glass of water.)

If using a heavy-duty mixer, you probably won’t have to mix as long—more like 10 minutes. Do not take shortcuts here; this is a critical step that greatly affects the taste and texture of the tamales.

After the masa becomes fluffy, let it rest for about 1 hour.