Costa Rican Tamales
Saturday, December 18th
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Pacific Time
Join Wendy from Costa Rica and learn how to make Costa Rican style tamales. In Latin America, tamales are traditionally made around Christmas time with the entire family participating in the cooking process. Invite your friends and family to join in on the fun!
Please be mindful of the time of the class you sign up for and your own time zone. After registration, you will receive a link to the Zoom online meeting session we will use.
Ingredients & Preparation
Have your ingredients pre-measured and prepped before the class for a more seamless experience.
If you do not have certain ingredients, our chefs will do their best to suggest substitutions.
Before coming to class:
Cook the meat filling.
Cook and slice carrot in strips/matchsticks as in photo above.
Costa Rican Tamales
Makes 20 Tamales
Tamales
Meat Filling (Please prepare before class)
Place the following ingredients in large pot and cover with water. Simmer until very tender (2-3 hours). Remove the meat from the broth; reserve the broth. Finely shred the meat when cool.
2 pounds pork meat, or boneless chicken, cut into 2” chunks"
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bunch of thyme
Potato & Masa Filling
2 pounds of potatoes
2 pounds instant corn masa mix, otherwise known as “masa harina” - look in the Hispanic section at the grocery store; packaging will indicate for tamales/tortillas
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 pound pork lard or butter
Tico Style Rice Filling
3-5 sprigs cilantro
1 small onion, or half of a medium onion
1/2 of a small red or yellow bell pepper (optional)
2 cups white rice
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Vegetable Filling
1 bell pepper
1 medium carrot, cooked and sliced in strips/matchsticks as in photo above
1 bunch of cilantro
Wrapping Utensils
2 pounds of banana leaves
Food-safe cotton string
Equipment
Certain commonly used kitchen tools are not listed here, such as cutlery, dishes, mixing bowls, pots, and pans. Any additional equipment is listed here.
Rice maker or pot
1 large pot
1 medium pot
Cutting board & knife
General Steps:
Prepare the rice and potatoes.
Prepare the corn masa.
Clean and cut the banana leaves.
Assemble the tamales, and wrap them in the banana leaves.
Boil the tamales after class. Enjoy!