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Tamales de Rajas

Name: Tamales de Rajas
Total time: 2 h 56 min
Yield: Makes 10 tamales
Cuisine: Oaxacan
Ingredients: 455 g fresh masa quebrajada (coarse-ground masa), homemade masa preparada (about 1 lb); 150 g lard; 1 tbsp sea salt; 120 ml water; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 65 g onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup); 2 jalapeños, cut lengthwise into strips; 295 g cooked chicken breast, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups); 455 g tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 1 lb); ½ tsp sea salt; ¼ tsp dried oregano; 4 leaves large fresh epazote leaves; 10 dried corn husks, soaked in water at least 2 hours

Corn-husk tamales of lard-enriched coarse masa filled with shredded chicken, jalapeño strips and tomato scented with epazote. Oaxaca's version of rajas swaps cheese for chicken and gains a bright, fresh edge.

YieldMakes 10 tamales
Hands-on55 min
Total2 h 56 min
Difficulty

Ingredients

Masa preparada

455 gfresh masa quebrajada (coarse-ground masa), homemade masa preparada (about 1 lb)
150 glard
1 tbspsea salt
120 mlwater

Filling

1 tbspvegetable oil
65 gonion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2jalapeños, cut lengthwise into strips
295 gcooked chicken breast, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
455 gtomatoes, roughly chopped (about 1 lb)
½ tspsea salt
¼ tspdried oregano
4 leaveslarge fresh epazote leaves

Wrapping

10dried corn husks, soaked in water at least 2 hours

Contains

Corn (maize)
Nightshades (any)
Tomato
Chili peppers
Onion family (any)
Onion
Cabbage family (any)
Oregano
Epazote
All mammal meat (alpha-gal)
Pork
Poultry and birds (any)
Chicken
Chili heat (capsaicin)

Taste

Heat
Sweet
Sour / bright
Salty
Umami / savory
Richness / fat
Herbal / fresh

Texture

Tender-braised

Equipment

Stovetop

Season

Any season

Occasion

Weekend project
Entertaining

Effort

45–90 min active
Over 3 hours total
Difficulty 3
Needs advance prep
Make-ahead friendly
Leftovers-friendly

Nutrition

Calories: moderate
Protein: moderate
Carbs: high
Fat: high
Fiber: high
Sodium: high

Budget

Budget: low

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