Partial Ingredients

Everyday Style & Recipes. Est. 2010

Cochinita Pibil Tamales with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Queso Fresco

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Tamales are a great traditional Mexican dish that is made with masa (corn flour), and stuffed with a meat or bean filling.  They are then wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed.  For the filling, I decided on a nice pork shoulder that I seasoned with savory annatto seeds, cumin, and allspice–the same recipe for the Cochinita Pibil Tacos. I made Chicken Tamales before, and I wanted to try pork. I decided to use a roasted tomatillo salsa and queso fresco again since salsa verde is so good with pork.

This dish is labor intensive and requires some planning–about 2 days.  The first day is to get all the ingredients together and cook the filling.  The second day is assembling the tamales and steaming them and of course eating them! When the tamales are in the steamer all you have to do is wait.  Once the wait is over it is time to unwrap and enjoy some tasty tamales.

Cochinita Pibil Tamales with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Queso Fresco
(Makes 4 tamales)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Cochinita Pibil/Puerco Pibil, shredded
  • 2 cups Tomatillo salsa or Chile Verde
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter
  • 1 cup masa (corn flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 4-5 large corn husks, soaked in water for 10 minutes to soften
  • queso fresco for garnish
  • cilantro for garnish

Directions:

  1. Beat the shortening or butter until it is fluffy.
  2. Add the corn flour, baking powder, spices, salt and water and mix with a spoon until it has formed a dough. Add more water if the mix is too dry.
  3. Take several large spoonfuls of the dough and flatten it out in the middle of a corn husk so that it forms a rectangle shape in the husk.
  4. Place a few small spoonfuls of the shredded pork in the middle and wrap the dough around it.
  5. Wrap the dough in a corn husk by bringing the edges together.  Make sure there are no gaping holes in the dough to prevent the filling from falling out.
  6. Fold in the ends and tie with a small piece of a corn husk around the middle of the tamale.  If the husk is too small and doesn’t wrap around all the way, seal it with another husk.
  7. Place it in the steamer standing up with the ends folded inward.
  8. Repeat.
  9. Steam the tamales for an hour. The dough should be firm and it should not stick to the husk when done.