Tamales

“This recipe was selected to be part of the Noche Buena Recipes as part of the Christmas celebration of the educational publisher Twinkl, with the aim of helping Filipinos feel the Christmas spirit wherever they are around the world.”

Tamales is a popular bread filling usually served during festive season like Noche Buena and Media Noche in Caviteñean houses. When I was young I remember tamales can be bought on sari-sari stores just like peanut butter or cheese on ordinary days but gone are the oldies who has the patience of cooking and selling this so most of the time one can have authentic Caviteñean tamales by orders only during festive season.

(Photo of ordinary tamales during ordinary days)

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered rice flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup cooked pork, cut into strips
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced chorizo
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Annatto seed or achuete for color (optional)
Sliced cooked ham
2 red eggs or boiled eggs, sliced

Procedure:

Toast rice flour in moderate heat until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add coconut milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in peanut butter, salt, sugar and pepper. Return mixture in stove and cook on medium heat adding chicken broth, stirring until it turns into a thick paste. Lower heat, stirring for 10 minutes more and taste seasoning. Transfer into a banana leaf and shape into a rectangular form.

Combine ham, pork and chorizo and place on top. Add sliced egg on top. Fold the banana leaf to form a rectangular bundle. Get another banana leaf and fold all over to form another rectangular bundle. Do this two more times so the tamale is wrapped four times in banana leaf. Tie the bundle up so water does not seep inside the tamales. Place in a steamer, and steam for one hour.

NOTE: To make the tops of the tamales colored use annatto seeds or achuete.