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Tamales have been made for literally thousands of years. This portable, delicious, nutritious meal-in-a-wrap is a tradition in Mexico and Central America. My daughter is Guatemalan by birth and this year I wanted to introduce her to the holiday tradition of the tamalada. A tamalada is a party to make tamales. Because tamales are made by hand and tend to take a bit of time, families get together to share the work and then celebrate with the delicious treats. It’s a chance to catch up on what has been happening in the family, talk about the news, laugh together and enjoy the holiday season.
For our tamalada, I wanted to make vegan lentil tamales. Lentils are one of my favorites and anytime I can get vegetables or legumes into our meals, I do! Tamales can also be made with beef filling, pork filling, well, anything! I even saw a recipe recently for pumpkin tamales.
My daughter and I love the smoky taste of chipotle peppers. Lentils don’t have a strong flavor (they are good for adding the right consistency). We used La Morena Chipotle Peppers in our filling to provide the main flavor profile. The seasonings of the La Morena Chipotle Peppers are so delicious, it’s a family favorite in our house. We know we can always count on the quality. La Morena has provided authentic Mexican flavors for over 25 years.
Vegan Lentil Tamale Recipe
Filling
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1/2 large onion, finely diced
7 ounces La Morena Chipotle Peppers, finely chopped
2 cups cooked lentils
6 ounces tomato paste
1 vegan bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon cumin
15 ounces of whole kernel corn
Directions
Cook garlic and onion in olive oil. Crush and add bouillon cube and cumin, stir well. Add peppers, lentils and corn. Stir well so that all ingredients are equally distributed throughout the filling. Set aside.
Masa
Ingredients
4 cups Maseca® Corn Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup melted coconut oil
3 cups of water
Directions
Put dry ingredients into bowl, slowly add coconut oil and water. Mix well to make paste.
Tamale Assembly and Steaming
Rinse corn husks in water, then place in large bowl. Cover with warm water. Place plate on top to keep husks from floating to top. Soak corn husks in warm water for at least two hours.
Using a spatula, place approximately 1 tablespoon of masa onto large corn husk. Masa is spread in a rectangle at the large end of the husk, leaving 1/8″ at the large end and 2-3″ at the narrow end. Put approximately a rounded teaspoon of filling down the center of the masa rectangle. Using the husk, fold the masa over the filling, creating the tamale shape. Roll the husk over the masa. Fold the ends and tie with a piece of husk.
Fill the tamale steamer with an inch or two of water and place the tray inside. Cover the top of the steaming tray with corn husks. Stand the tamales on top of the tray, cover and steam for 30-45 minutes. You can tell if the tamales are done by checking to see if they easily come free of the husks and the masa looks firm and moist but not wet.
So head to your local store (I went to Pete’s Fresh Market) and pick up the La Morena Chipotle Peppers, Maseca® Corn Flour, and all the ingredients you need for your own holiday tamalada!
This is something that my daughters would like.
Looks delicious, but also kind of hard to make.
This sounds fantastic but unfortunately something my husband won’t eat.
What a great recipe! I will definitely try it!
What a delicious recipe! Looks so flavorful and filling. I’d love to try and make this!
We love Mexican dishes and I’ve never made these before. Thanks for the detailed photos and directions.
These look scrumptious! My husband grew up in Mexico so we eat a lot of Mexican dishes, this is definitely one he would love me to make!
Thanks for the step by step instructions.
This looks so good and so easy to make, I probably wouldn’t have tried without the photos, thanks
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Sounds terrific-lentils are very versatile and satisfying!
Lentils for sure are my favorite food , this looks delicious
We love this kind of food at my house! It looks wonderful and easy enough!
I love lentils, this is one great recipe to enjoy .
I have tried had a tamale before. I remember once as a kid I got one and couldn’t figure out how to eat it so I didn’t lol
This sounds like a great tamale, thanks for informing me about it.
I absolutely love tamales, But I have never tried to make them on my own. This recipe has me thinking about giving it a go. Thanks.
My son loves tamales. I’ve never tried to make them before. Maybe it’s time.
My husband would really like this.
I’ve never tried to make tamales before, they look so good. We enjoy mexican food but generally only make tacos.
Looks interesting… I never had tamales, so if I were to try it, just a little to start. :)
Looks yummy! Would make a really good lunch for me.
Looks absolutely delicious!
WOW! These tamales look and sound fabulous! I love the lentils and I know my family would go nuts over these…they all love lentils! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve never had a tamale in my life, these look really good though!
I will try this recipe as it looks very good.
this looks tasty
I think my mom would love this recipe. I am going to send this to her.
They sound delicious. I’ve never tried to make Tamales before. A nice project to do as you catch up on life. Thanks for sharing.
Carol L
yum yum yum!!! i want some!
Tamales look so labour intensive, but these would be a nice treat for vegan family members.
I’ve never made Tamales before. I dont think i have ever eaten on either but i love Mexican food so i might give it a try
I’ve pinned this & plan on making this for my family! They will be so excited!!!!
Yum! These look great. I am trying to add more lentils into my diet.
My daughter loves Mexican food. I bet she would love this recipe.
i like it…love mexican all year long thanks
Christmas means Tamales in So. Calif. Thanks for showing the multiple steps!
This sounds delicious!
ive always wantedt otry making tamales, these look great
Looks delicious. I have never used the husks to cook before I think I always thought they were too hard to make.
I’m typically not a huge lentil fan, but I liked this recipe. Think I may try it. Thank you for sharing it. =)
Looks good, but I don’t think my family would share my joy! :)
thanks for the recipe. My husband loves tamales.
I have never made tamales, but this looks so good!
hubby and i love lentils! i will really have to make these for us!
I have never made tamales but my daughter and I would love to try these. They look great!
Looks like a fun weekend “cook together” project for me and the kids! Thanks for sharing.
not something i would eat but my mom would probably like them
looks delicious! cant wait to try it later.
This looks yummy! My hubby is Guatemalan so tamales are a big thing around the holidays but this is something I’d make all year too.
I love chipoltle peppers. Your tamale recipe sounds delicious and healthy. It looks like a fun recipe to make when you have company to share the work with.
This looks so good! We love having taco night in our family and this recipe would be great to make.
I’m Mexican and this is the first time I heard about this stuff in a tamal, but sound interesting, I would try it but maybe without the corn.
Love tamales but have never made it myself!
Wow seeing how tamales are made brought to mind the Chinese sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves {Chinese tamale}. Different flavors but a similar idea.
I’ve never attempted making home made tamales, these look great!
always like trying new things
I am always looking for something different to cook so thankyou for the recipe these look great
Great article on making tamales, I never knew how to make them, but they are great to eat, for years, I thought you ate the corn husks and thought they were terrible, that is how it is when you experiment with foods that you are not
I have never heard of the tamalada. What fun! My mom used to make a day of it when we made a batch of eggrolls.
looks like it would take a lot of stuff and time to make those.
Reading the recipe and looking at the pictures make me hungry for some authentic Mexican food!! These would also make great appetizers!
This recipe was pin-worthy!!! Thanks for sharing!
this sounds like a great recipe. i’ll try it
I might have to try to make tamales.
I love tamales. These look so delicious!
That looks delicious. I love lentils.
OMG! You had me at Tamale! They are my favorite for sure and this filling with the lentils looks delicious! I appreciate you taking the time to create this post and to share this fabulous recipe! I have printed it and will be making it soon.