Best Tamales De Mole Poblano Recipes

POBLANO AND CHEESE TAMALES (TAMALES DE RAJAS CON QUESO)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange poblano peppers in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer into a resealable plastic bag and let them steam, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel off skin, seed, and cut them into strips.
• Place tomatillos in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they change color, about 5 minutes. Drain and place in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add blended tomatillos and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors are well combined, about 5 minutes. Add poblano peppers and cilantro and boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Beat remaining lard in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add salt and continue beating for a few minutes. Add masa harina and baking powder and beat well until combined. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough has a smooth and workable consistency that is not too wet, similar to cookie dough. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomatillo sauce and a piece of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• For the mole: Tear the ancho, anaheim, and chipotle chiles into large pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover them with hot water. Soak unti softened, about 30 minutes. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the almonds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, and thyme. Toast for 2 minutes, grind in a spice grinder, and add the powder to a blender. In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and serrano. Cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then add to the blender. Add the chocolate and the soaked chiles and raisins to the blender along with some of the chile soaking liquid. Puree, adding more soaking liquid as needed, to make a smooth sauce. (This makes about 4 cups sauce, the recipe uses 2 cups, the extra can be frozen).
• Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and season it well with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and brown the chicken on all sides; remove the browned chicken to a plate leaving the oil in the pan. Pour 2 cups of the mole sauce into the hot skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken pieces to the pan. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the onion and radish slices into a bowl. Add the lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Mix well and serve with the chicken.
• Serve over cooked white rice with the onion and radish salad. Garnish everything with cilantro leaves.

TAMALES DE MOLE POBLANO WITH BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Follow the instructions for the recipes listed above. Once those tasks are completed, you will then need to prepare your banana leaves for making the tamales.
• Cut away the stiff spine on each leaf, and cut the leaves into sheets thar roughly measure 8″x8″ (20cm x 20cm). Wipe each leaf clean with a damp cloth.
• Heat a griddle on the stove. Using a spatula, wilt the banana leaf on the hot griddle until the color changes from vibrant green to dull green. Once it is wilted, spread a large spoonful of masa across the leaf, and then add a portion of the mole poblano con pavo (see example in photo.) Fold the edges of the leaf over to form the tamal (do not roll like a pinwheel.) Fold into a bundle, and place in a steamer.
• Fill the steamer with water, and begin to heat on the stove. Once the water is boiling, begin to time your steaming tamales. With larger tamales, the steaming should take 45-60 minutes. Check a sample tamale by unfolding it. Opaque dough is a sign that the tamales are not completely steamed. If you find an opaque spot, simply return your sample tamal to the pot, and steam for 15 more minutes.

TAMALES CON ELOTE Y CHILE POBLANO (TAMALES WITH CORN AND POBLANO CHILES)

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak while you prepare the filling.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until rippling. Add the white onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden, 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium; add the poblanos, stirring well to combine, and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the corn kernels and season with cilantro and cook until the moisture has evaporated, about another 3 minutes. Season with salt. Cool thoroughly.
• Fold or beat the corn mixture into the prepared tamal dough, being sure it is evenly distributed. Fill, fold, and steam the tamales, using about ¼ cup of the masa-corn mixture for each husk.
• Serve with a picante sauce such as Pico de Gallo Norteño or Salsa de Tomatillo con Chipotle.