Tamales Made in a Pressure Cooker
Try this Tamales made in a Pressure Cooker recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Tamales made in a Pressure Cooker recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.5900155 g
- Cholesterol 0.49 mg
- Fat 0.107963 g
- Fiber 0.001325 g
- Protein 0.4060225 g
- Saturated Fat 0.067179 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 22 (12g)
- Sodium 12.8647 mg
- Sugar 0.5886905 g
- Trans Fat 0.00551949999999998 g
- Calories 5 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix everything except liquid.
- Slowly add enough liquid until it's a playdoh consistency–soft and easy to mold, but doesn't stick to your hands. If it's too wet, add more masa or if it's too crumble (too dry), add more liquid but a little at a time until you get it just right.
- You can use any filling you want. I used some leftover pulled pork, some green enchilada sauce, and a small slice of Monterey Jack cheese in each one.
- Take a moistened corn husk, place some masa on the husk, and pat it down into an approximate rectangle. If you are making a ton at a time, you might want to invest in a Tamale spreader. It spreads the masa evenly on the corn husk every time so you can quickly do a large quantity.
- Add your filling. Pull each side of the husk toward the center, so the dough covers the filling. Then finish wrapping with the husk, and fold the small pointy side up.
- Place tamales, folded side down and open end up, either on the trivet or in a steamer basket. I actually took the insert out of the IP, left the trivet in, and put the insert on its side so I could stack the tamales in without them falling over.
- Once it was mostly filled, I could right the insert and the tamales stayed standing up. Then I just put the insert back in the pressure cooker. I added 2 cups water along the side. Now close the pressure cooker. Make sure the valve on the top is set to "sealing."
- Press manual (should be high pressure), adjust the setting to 18 minutes.
- It will take about 15 minutes for it to come to pressure so don't be surprised if it doesn't start right away.
- After the 18 minutes is up, I let it sit (natural pressure release) for 10 minutes. The machine will start to count for you.
- Then released the rest of the pressure (quick release) by poking the valve with a wooden spoon to switch from sealing to "venting". This will release any pressure that is still built up in the machine.
- To eat, you unwrap the tamale and discard the husks (they are only used in the cooking process).
A common error when preparing tamale dough is under-hydrating the masa, resulting in a crumbly texture that cracks during steaming. Achieving the correct hydration requires working the water and fat into the dry corn flour until the mass reaches the consistency of pliable playdough, typically demanding about two cups of warm liquid for four and a half cups of masa. Incorporating baking powder introduces micro-bubbles of carbon dioxide upon contact with moisture, lifting the dense starch matrix so the cooked dough turns out light rather than heavy.
Fat selection dictates both the melting point and the mouthfeel of the finished casing. While traditional lard solidifies firmly at room temperature, softened butter or rendered bacon fat offers distinct aromatic compounds that bond well with the corn starches. Distribute the fat thoroughly before adding liquid to coat the individual flour particles, which inhibits excessive water absorption and prevents a gummy crumb.
Stacking the wrapped bundles vertically inside the cooker ensures optimal steam circulation and prevents the filling from leaking out during the expansion phase. Pour two cups of water into the base to generate sustained, high-pressure steam without submerging the food. Positioning the steamer basket securely keeps the open ends pointed upward so condensation drains away from the interior.
Operating the cooker at high pressure for eighteen minutes, followed by a ten-minute natural release, allows residual heat to finish cooking the starches without drying out the exterior. Quick-releasing the remaining pressure stops the thermal carryover immediately. Unwrapping the corn husk reveals a fully set exterior that pulls away cleanly from the steaming hot masa.
