Costa Rican Tamales
Sunday, February 27th
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 during the holidays with the entire family participating in the cooking process. Invite your friends and family to join in on the fun!
SOLD OUT
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 7-10 Tamales
Tamales
Meat Filling (Please prepare before class)
Place the following ingredients in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer until very tender (2-3 hours). Remove the meat from the broth; reserve the broth with the veggies. Finely shred the meat when cool.
1 pound pork meat, or boneless chicken, cut into 2” chunks"
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 bunch of thyme
Potato & Masa Filling
1 pound potatoes
1 pound instant corn masa mix, otherwise known as “masa harina” - look in the Hispanic section at the grocery store; the packaging will indicate for tamales/tortillas
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 cup pork lard or butter
Tico Style Rice Filling
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
optional: 1/4 of a small red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional: 2 teaspoons achiote paste, saffron, or turmeric to color the rice
1 1/2 cups water
Vegetable Filling
1/2 bell pepper, sliced in strips/matchsticks as in photo above
1/2 medium carrot, cooked and sliced in strips/matchsticks as in photo above
1/2 bunch of cilantro, leaves removed from the stems
Wrapping Utensils
1 pound banana leaves
Food-safe cotton string
Optional Sauce for Serving
Optional: Salsa Lizano (typical Costa Rican sauce)
Equipment
Certain commonly used kitchen tools are not listed here, such as cutlery, dishes, etc. Any additional equipment is listed here.
1 medium pot for potatoes
Vegetable peeler
Cutting board & knife
Rice maker or medium pot for rice
Blender
1 large pot for tamales
Wet dishcloth to clean banana leaves
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!