¡¡TAMALES DE CHIPILIN!! #elsalvador #comidasalvadoreña

masa harina

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: cornmeal

Whole wheat flour adds fiber, while cornmeal is often less expensive.

cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

chicken

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: canned beans

Tofu is a lower-fat protein, while canned beans are often more affordable.

Cut the spine out of the banana leaves and cut them into smaller pieces.

Rinse the banana leaves with water.

Pass each banana leaf through an open flame, rotating it until the color changes from ashy green to vivid green, making the leaves flexible.

Harvest 4 to 5 big handfuls of chipilin leaves from the garden, selecting nice, big, and healthy ones.

Rinse the chipilin leaves and remove them from the stems, separating them into two big bunches.

Blend half of the chipilin leaves with a bit of water to make a green paste.

In a big pot, add 2 to 3 cups of water and dissolve one chicken bouillon sachet.

Add about 2 pounds of maseka (white corn flour) to the pot and mix well to avoid clumps.

Place the pot over medium heat and slowly cook the dough, adding 1 cup of pork fat and a generous amount of salt, mixing until it becomes thick.

Incorporate the remaining chipilin leaves and the green paste into the dough, stirring until everything is well mixed.

Prepare the tamales by adding about 1/3 cup of masa to the center of a banana leaf.

Add a slice of queso molido (cheese) as filling on top of the masa.

Fold the banana leaf over the masa, pressing the sides to keep everything in the center, then fold the ends underneath the tamalito.

Line a big pot with banana leaves and arrange the tamales vertically for even cooking.

Cover the tamales with banana leaves and add water to the pot, cooking for about 50 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary