CHINESE TAMALE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Pour enough warm water over the glutinous rice, mung beans and chestnuts in separate bowls to cover them completely. Soak overnight. Drain the three ingredients and combine them in one large bowl. Add the salt and five-spice and stir to coat.
• Pour enough warm water over the mushrooms in a large bowl to cover them completely. Let soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain. Discard the stems and slice the caps thinly.
• Pour enough water over the bamboo leaves in a large pot to cover them completely. Bring to a boil, then remove the pot from the heat, let cool slightly and drain. Pat the leaves dry and set them aside.
• Make the tamales: Place two bamboo leaves, over lapping each other halfway on the work surface. Place a 1/3-cup of the rice mixture in the center. Top with a slice of pork and 3 to 4 slices of mushroom. Cover with about 2 tablespoons of the rice and mung bean mixture. Fold the leaves over the stuffing to enclose it completely, then tie package closed with kitchen string.
• Place tamales in a large pot, pour in enough water to cover them, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the water is simmering and cook until the tamale filling feels tender when you squeeze it gently, 4 to 5 hours. Replenish the water in the pot as necessary to keep the tamales covered during cooking. Drain and serve warm.

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
• Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
• Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.