Black Bean Tamales Recipes

BLACK BEAN TAMALES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the lard, either by hand or using an electric mixer until it changes to a whiter color.
• Add the cornflour and mix well. Before adding the pork cracklings, place them inside a plastic bag, and using a kitchen mallet or wooden rolling pin, slightly smash them. And add them to the dough mix. Then, stir in the black beans, and with your hands or a wooden spoon, mix them with the corn dough
• Once you have the corn flour, lard, beans and pork crackling integrated, slowly pour the chicken broth into the mixture. Mix using your mixer or with your hands, now taste to check if it needs salt. Season with salt if needed. Since the beans and pork cracklings are already seasoned, you have to be careful when adding salt. Remember that steaming the tamales reduces a little bit of the saltiness. Your dough will look a little bit like cookie dough when ready.
• To prepare the banana leaves for wrapping your black bean tamales, first, you need to remove the ribs of the banana leaves using some kitchen scissors, cut the leaves into pieces. To soften them, we will place them, one by one, over an open flame on your stove. The shiny side of the leaf will be facing down, and at the contact with the flame, the upper side will start changing to a bright green color. Make sure you move the leaf all over to soften it completely. Once all the leaves are ready, rinse them with warm water to clean, and pat dry with a paper towel.
• To form the black bean tamales, Place 4 tablespoons of the dough mixture in the center of the banana leaf if you are using the Hoja Santa, add a little piece on top of the dough. Wrap the tamal, fold the first one side of the center, and the other side towards the center, and do the same
• process with the ends of the banana leaf in order to form a small rectangular package.
• Place already formed tamales into Tamal Steamer or big pot. If you don't have a Tamal Steamer, you can improvise, by placing large pieces of crinkled aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot and then adding some of the leftover banana leaves or ribs to form a barrier to avoid contact with the bottom of the pot.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of hot water to the pot, cover the tamales with more banana leaves or with aluminum foil. Place the lid and cook and medium heat for one hour and 15 minutes. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving, to allow the tamales to cool down, and the dough to firm up. These tamales are usually served with a tomato sauce. Cook 1 large tomato and 2 habanero peppers until soft, discard cooking water, place tomatoes and peppers in your blender, process until smooth, season with salt.Enjoy your black bean tamales with a tomato sauce.

OAXACAN BLACK-BEAN TAMALES

Steps:

• Reconstitute the corn husks.
• In a small saucepan, combine the black beans, avocado leaves, lard, onion, and 3 cups water. Set saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. With lid slightly ajar, simmer until the beans become very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add additional water as necessary if the beans begin to dry out during the cooking process.
• Remove and discard the avocado leaves from filling. Generously season filling with salt. Remove pan from heat, and set the filling aside to cool.
• Using a potato masher or a large spoon, coarsely mash the filling until it becomes thick enough to easily hold its shape when placed in a spoon.
• Assemble 16 tamales with the tamale batter and the black-bean filling, using large husks for wrappers and ties, and reserving smaller ones to line the steamer basket and cover the tamales.
• Prepare the steamer, and steam the tamales. Let the tamales stand until the batter has firmed. Serve the tamales warm with the chopped-tomato-and-serrano salsa.

BEAN TAMALES (TAMELES DE FRIJOLES)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for a few hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place ancho chiles in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Combine ancho chiles, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and a little water in a blender; blend salsa until smooth. Strain through a sieve.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 the salsa and cook, 3 to 5 minutes. Add refried beans, stir well, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Beat lard with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add masa and beat until well combined. Add remaining salsa and continue beating until dough has a uniform red color.
• Select 1 wide corn husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Place 1 tablespoon of beans and 1 jalapeno slice 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. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

BLACK BEAN TAMALE BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper, and salt. Cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground chuck and garlic; cook until meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Drain fat if desired. Add beans, chile cooking sauce, and tomatoes. Cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cornmeal and salt; cook until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add corn, Monterey Jack cheese, and jalapeno. Stir well and spread over meat mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

TAMALES DE FRIJOL (OAXACAN BLACK BEAN TAMALES)

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by about 2 inches and soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and transfer to a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, avocado leaves, salt and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, skimming any foam, until the beans are very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Cool for 15 minutes, then set a large strainer over a large bowl and drain. Transfer the beans, onion, garlic and 1 cup cooking liquid to a blender or food processor. Blend, adding more liquid as needed to get the machine going and to form an almost smooth puree. The consistency should be soft and spreadable, but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and cool to room temperature. Discard the avocado leaves and any remaining cooking liquid.
• While the beans cool, prepare for tamales: Heat the oil in a small saucepan until just smoking, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. If you don't have plastic rounds for a tortilla press, cut off the edges of a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag to form two 10-inch squares of plastic. If you don't have a press, get out a heavy flat-bottomed large skillet.
• Heat a banana leaf on a griddle or large flat pan over high heat, turning and pressing flat until pliable and shiny, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a work surface. Repeat with the remaining leaves, stacking them to keep them all warm and soft.
• In a large bowl, tear the masa into smaller chunks then add the salt and gradually add the cooled oil while kneading in. Continue kneading with both hands by punching down the mixture, then squeezing it between your fingers before gathering it into a mass and pushing it back down. Knead until the oil isn't visible and the masa is very smooth and soft.
• Assemble the tamales: Roll a 1/3 cup masa into a ball and flatten between the plastic by hand into a 1-inch-thick disk. Press in a tortilla press or against the counter using a skillet to form a tortilla-thin round (scant 1/8-inch-thick). Peel off the top plastic, keeping the masa on the bottom piece. Spread the bean filling evenly over the masa's entire surface in a thin layer (about 3 tablespoons). Using the plastic, lift the left edge and fold an inch in towards the center, then peel back the plastic and flatten it against the counter. Repeat on the right. Spread filling over the folded edges (about 1 teaspoon per side). Using the plastic, lift up the bottom third and fold it over the center as if folding a letter. Cover with filling (about 1 teaspoon), then use the plastic to lift the top and fold it over to enclose. Center an avocado leaf on top. Place the tamal upside down on a soft banana leaf and place another avocado leaf on top. Trim the leaves to fit if needed. Wrap in the banana leaf, folding in one long side, then the bottom, then the other side and rolling to enclose the end. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Fit a steamer or colander into a large, deep pot and add enough water to almost reach its bottom. Stack the tamales flat in the steamer, leaving an empty space in the center. Cover with the reserved remaining banana leaves and then the lid. Bring the water to a boil and steam, replenishing with hot water as needed, until the masa is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. To test, unwrap a tamal and cut through the center to make sure there's no raw masa.
• Keep warm in the steamer off the heat until ready to serve. After unwrapping, the avocado leaves should be discarded before eating. The tamales can be cooled completely, then wrapped individually and frozen for up to 6 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then resteam in the banana leaves or unwrap and pan-fry in oil until hot and crisp.

CORN AND BLACK BEAN TAMALES

Steps:

• Beat masa harina, water and lard in large bowl with mixer on low speed 3 min. or until well blended. Gradually beat in broth. Add sour cream; beat 5 min. or until light and fluffy. Place half the dough in medium bowl; mix in beans, chipotle peppers and 1/2 cup cheese. Add corn, poblano chiles and remaining 1/2 cup cheese to remaining dough; mix well.
• Place 1 corn husk on flat surface. Spoon 1 Tbsp. corn mixture onto husk about 1 inch from one end; spoon 1 Tbsp. bean mixture 1 inch from other end. Fold husk over fillings, then tie in center with thin strip of additional corn husk before tying at both ends. Repeat with remaining husks and filling.
• Line bottom of steamer with half the remaining husks; place tamales in steamer. Cover with remaining husks to completely enclose tamales. Cover tamalera; steam 50 min. or until fillings pull away from husks, adding more water to pot when necessary.

BLACK BEAN TAMALES WITH MOLE

Steps:

• Cook onions in hot oil in medium skillet on medium heat 10 min. or until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans.
• Cut sheets of foil into 24 (8x6-inch) pieces; repeat with banana leaves. Cover bottom of steamer with any remaining banana leaves.
• Dissolve bouillon cube in warm water in large bowl. Add masa harina, lard and sour cream; mix well. Divide dough in half.
• Pat 1 dough piece into 12x10-inch rectangle on 16x14-inch sheet of plastic wrap. Spread with 1/2 cup bean mixture; top with 1/2 cup mozzarella. Roll up dough, starting at one long side, using plastic wrap to help roll dough. (Do not roll plastic wrap up with dough.) Repeat to make second log. Discard plastic wrap.
• Cut each log into 1-inch-thick slices. Place 1 slice on center of each banana leaf piece; fold leaf lengthwise in half, then fold over both short ends of leaf to completely enclose filling. Wrap in foil pieces.
• Place tamales in steamer; cover. Steam 1 hour or until filling pulls away from banana leaves, adding more water to steamer if necessary. Serve with mole sauce.