Day of the Dead Shiitake Tamales
Come celebrate the Mexican festival Day of the Dead with this traditional Mexican snack. Of course, we had to put an asian spin on it.
Ingredients
100g lard
250g maize
1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
250ml hot vegetable stock
Filling ingredients
200g dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (soaked) and minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Chui Chow chilli oil plus extra for dipping
1 pack banana leaves cut into 20cm squares
Method
In a large bowl, rub the lard and maize together, using the tips of your fingers until there are no lumps of lard.
Using your fingers as a whisk, mix in the baking powder, salt and pepper.
Pour in about half the stock and whisk with your hand. Keep adding stock until the mix holds together but is of a wet consistency.
For the filling
Mix the mushroom, garlic and spring onion together, season with salt and pepper and mix in the sesame oil.
Heat the banana leaves in a dry frying pan until they become pliable and soft.
Take a spoonful of dough mix and spread it onto the centre on the banana leaf. Put a teaspoon of mushroom mix in the centre, top with chilli oil and cover with another spoonful of dough mix. Pat the dough out until it is a flat rectangle.
To fold the tamales, take the longer edges of the banana leaf and fold inward, tucking one edge over the other. Fold the remaining lengths of banana leaf under and place in a steam basket.
Repeat until the dough mix is finished and tightly pack the tamales into the steam basket so they don't open during cooking.
Steam them for 35 minutes until the dough is cooked. Serve warm with more chilli oil.
100g lard
250g maize
1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
250ml hot vegetable stock
Filling ingredients
200g dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (soaked) and minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Chui Chow chilli oil plus extra for dipping
1 pack banana leaves cut into 20cm squares
In a large bowl, rub the lard and maize together, using the tips of your fingers until there are no lumps of lard.
Using your fingers as a whisk, mix in the baking powder, salt and pepper.
Pour in about half the stock and whisk with your hand. Keep adding stock until the mix holds together but is of a wet consistency.
For the filling
Mix the mushroom, garlic and spring onion together, season with salt and pepper and mix in the sesame oil.
Heat the banana leaves in a dry frying pan until they become pliable and soft.
Take a spoonful of dough mix and spread it onto the centre on the banana leaf. Put a teaspoon of mushroom mix in the centre, top with chilli oil and cover with another spoonful of dough mix. Pat the dough out until it is a flat rectangle.
To fold the tamales, take the longer edges of the banana leaf and fold inward, tucking one edge over the other. Fold the remaining lengths of banana leaf under and place in a steam basket.
Repeat until the dough mix is finished and tightly pack the tamales into the steam basket so they don't open during cooking.
Steam them for 35 minutes until the dough is cooked. Serve warm with more chilli oil.