/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Anyone here enjoy the arduous process of making tamales? Making the cornmeal from scratch, or even just buying it, it is a long, long process that can take an entire day...but I sincerely enjoy it.

I grew up with 'hot tamales', a Louisiana style of tamales. I enjoy many different types though I don't know how to make them; one favorite is Salvadorian style, mushy and wrapped in a banana leaf instead of a corn husk.

Anyone have secrets to their process to share? Or if you make my kind of tamales, what do you add to the water as you steam them? Curious to share versions; I personally toss in curry powder and chili powder to the water and it is a cool twist, imo, to what I grew up on.

pic related, a batch from a year ago..not a pretty pic but they were great all the same. i don't tie them up unless i am having people over, as it's a pain in the ass and no point to it just for myself.