Tamales and the holidays go together like, well, tamales and the holidays! They are just perfect together and I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that making tamales isn't time consuming, it is, but you and I both know it's time well spent and it's also an activity you can do with a group of friends, comadres or your family. This recipe for shredded beef tamaleswith mole is awesome. You can make the shredded beef ahead of time and then call in your troops to help you put the tamales together. Oh, and I don't know about you, but I'm going to at least double the recipe because tamales go quick.
Read more ¿Qué más?: 9 Latin drinks to help celebrate the holiday season
Shredded Beef Tamales with Mole Sauce
Makes 12 tamales
Ingredients
Canola oil cooking spray
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons Nescafé Clásico pure instant coffee granules
1/4 tablet Nestlé Abuelita authentic Mexican hot chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon Maggi granulated chicken flavor bouillon
1/8 teaspoon whole cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef brisket
1 bay leaf 24 dried corn husks
3 cups prepared masa for tamales
1/2 cup russet potato sliced into 2 x 1/2-inch strips (12 strips total)
1/4 cup yellow onion sliced into 1/2-inch strips (12 strips total)
For the mole sauce:
1 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon Maggi granulated chicken flavor bouillon
3 ounces prepared mole
2 tablespoons Nestlé Abuelita granulated chocolate drink mix
Toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Spray cooking spray in slow cooker, covering bottom and 3 inches up the side.
Boil water in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add coffee granules and Abuelita chocolate tablet. Stir to dissolve.
Combine chile powder, bouillon, cumin and oregano in a small bowl. Stir until all spices are mixed. Sprinkle brisket with spices, covering all sides and place in slow cooker. Add bay leaf and coffee/chocolate mixture.
Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 6 hours).
Soak corn husks in water for at least 1 hour.
Remove bay leaf, scrape off any excess fat, and shred meat with two forks into 1 ½-inch shreds.
To assemble tamales:
Place corn husk on a flat surface, pointy side down. Spread ¼ cup masa on husk, 2 tablespoons shredded beef, 1 potato strip and 1 onion strip.
Fold sides, overlapping over filling. Fold pointy side under.
Arrange tamales upright on steamer rack. Fill stock pot with hot water to right below the rack.
Cover tamales with remaining husks and damp towel; cover with lid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, adding water as needed. Steam for 1 hour or until masa pulls away from husk.
For mole:
Pour hot water and bouillon in small saucepan; mix well. Stir in mole until dissolved. Add Abuelita chocolate. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, for three minutes or until chocolate has dissolved and mixture has thickened.
Remove corn husks and drizzle mole over tamales to serve.
Image via Nestlé
