How To Make Mexican Vegan Tamales Recipe (Video)

Instructions

For the Pipían Rojo:

1. Heat a comal or a large dry frying pan (ideally cast iron) over medium heat. Place the 4 ancho chiles on the hot comal and toast, flipping frequently, until darkened in color and fragrant, be careful not to burn.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the toasted chiles and the 1/2 pound tomatillos to the water. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until chiles are soft and tomatillos are cooked but not split open, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Heat the comal once again over medium heat and place the quartered onion, jalapeño, and 2 garlic cloves on the hot comal or frying pan. Char the vegetables until they are blackened on the outside. Remove the garlic as it cooks—it will cook faster than the others. Keep flipping and turning the pieces so they char on all sides. Remove them to a heat proof bowl and let cool slightly, Once cool, cut off the stem of the jalapeño.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup peanuts. Fry in the oil until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and remove from the heat. Stir frequently as they cool to prevent the sesame seeds from burning.
5. Place the charred veggies in a blender. Remove the chiles and tomatillos with kitchen tongs and place them in the blender as well. Finally add the toasted nuts and seeds, the 1/2 cup cilantro and the 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Add a ladle of the chile cooking liquid and blend until very smooth.
6. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the pureed chile mixture and stir—be careful the sauce will spatter. Keep stirring, frying in the oil until the color darkens and it thickens slightly.
7. Add the 3 cups vegetable broth and bring the sauce to a low simmer. Cook, covered for about 15 minutes or so to let the flavors concentrate. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance or frozen for up to 3 months.

For the Masa:

1. Heat the 10 cups vegetable broth in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering.
2. Place the 6 cups masa harina in a large heat-proof bowl. Pour 6 cups of hot broth over the masa harina and mix with a wooden spoon to combine. You are just rehydrating the flour here, it will not be soft. If it seems really dry, add another cup or so of broth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while you whip the shortening.
3. Combine the 1 cup vegetable shortening (or whichever fat you are using) with the 1 tablespoon each baking powder and kosher salt in the bowl of a 5-quart or larger stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high for about 5 minutes. This may seems extreme but it really makes a difference on how fluffy the masa turns out.
4. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn it back on to medium-low speed. Add the rehydrated masa, a handful at a time letting the first handful mix in before adding more. Keep going until all the masa has been added.
5. The dough should be very soft, almost soupy. It will stiffen as it sits so it is better for it to be on the wet side at this point. If it isn't like thick, fluffy cake batter, add more warm broth until it reaches that consistency.

for the tamales:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once it is boiling, turn off the heat and add the corn husks. Submerge them under the water with kitchen tongs. Set aside.
2. Bring another large pot of, this time, heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the 8 cups of cauliflower florets and return to a boil. Cook 2-3 minutes or until barely tender (they will finish cooking in the tamales). Drain and plunge into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
3. Drain cauliflower again and place in a large bowl. Add 3 cups of the pipián sauce, the 1/3 cup lime juice, and the 2 teaspoons kosher salt and stir to combine.
4. Fill the bottom of a vapora or tamales-steamer with water. Place the steamer insert inside the steamer. Cover the bottom of the insert with corn husks that are ripped or too small. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium-low and keep covered and filled with steam until you are ready to fill with tamales.
5. Drain the corn husks. Place one on a clean surface and wipe any excess water with a towel. Arrange so the wide end is facing toward you.
6. Check masa to make sure it didn't get too thick while it sat. If so, add more broth until it is a soft, spreadable hummus-like consistency.
7. Spoon about 1/3 cup of masa onto the middle of the corn husk. Evenly spread the masa over the bottom half of the husk, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on the sides. Unless the corn husk is really big, then you only want to cover about 5-6 inches wide.
8. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cauliflower filling in a line down the middle of the masa. Fold the right side of the husk over to meet the left side of the masa. Tuck the masa in using the corn husk so it surrounds the filling then fold in the other side. Fold the pointed end down and set on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining masa and filling.
9. Place the tamales open-side up in the steamer, leaning them against the side so they don't fall over. Don't overcrowd the steamer or they won't cook properly. Cover the top with leftover corn husks and place the lid on top.
10. Make sure there is plenty of steam going in the steamer and cook for 45 minutes-1 hour.
11. To check to see if they are ready, remove one to a plate and let it rest 3-4 minutes. Remove the corn husk, it should easily peel away, if it doesn't they're not ready yet. Feel the middle of the tamal. If should be soft, but not doughy. They will finish cooking as they rest so you want them to be a little undercooked at this point.
12. When they are done remove the pot from the heat and let sit for at least 10 minutes to finish cooking before serving.
13. While you wait for the tamales to rest, warm the remaining pipián sauce and make the pumpkin seed garnish: Heat the tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and fry, stirring frequently until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and season with salt.
14. To serve: Unwrap a tamal and spoon the pipián sauce over the top. Garnish with a few toasted pumpkin seeds and enjoy!