Mexican Torta de Tamal Recipe
Torta de tamal is a Mexican sandwich made by placing a tamale inside a bolillo roll. It is commonly enjoyed as a quick breakfast, making it a popular choice for workers on the go as they start their day.
Ingredients
- Bolillo Roll – 1
- Tamale – 1
For the tamale:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved – ½ lb
- Salt to taste
- Water to cover
- Fresh tomatillos, skins removed – ½ lb
- Serrano pepper – 1
- Medium onion, chopped – 1
- Fresh cilantro, chopped – 2 tbsp
- Garlic, minced – ½ clove
- Unsalted butter, softened, divided – 1 cup
- Chicken broth – 1.5 cups
- Masa harina – ½ lb
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 ½ tsp
- Corns Husks – 30
Instructions
- Prepare your corn husks by boiling them in water for 45 minutes.
- Drain and cover with a damp towel. Set aside.
- In a large pot, season chicken with salt and cover with water. Boil the chicken on medium-high heat, keeping it at a high boil for one minute, before reducing the heat to a simmer and leaving covered for 25 minutes. Drain and shred chicken.
- While cooking the chicken, place tomatillo and serrano peppers in a separate pot. Cover with water to boil until tomatillos are soft and change color, about 3-4 minutes.
- In a blender, combine tomatillo and serrano peppers, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Blend into a smooth texture.
- In a saucepan, heat butter and add tomatillo sauce. Cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes, until the sauce is somewhat thickened.
- Combine shredded chicken with the tomatillo sauce.
- Make your masa. In a large bowl, beat leftover butter until it is a creamy consistency. Add masa harina, baking powder, chicken brother, and salt to the large bowl, mixing until combined. It should be a consistency similar to cookie dough.
- You can test if the masa is ready by dropping a small rolled ball of it into cold water. It will float when it is ready. If it sinks, beat the mixture more to add more air.
- Assemble your tamales. You will need either a large, wide corn husk or, if the husks are smaller or narrower, use two.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of the masa onto the husk, leaving about ½ inch of room at the top and more at the bottom- about 2 inches.
- Take the sides, fold them together, and then fold the bottom of the husk up and over the seam of the two folded sides.
- Repeat this until it is no longer possible to do so.
- Using a steamer or a steamer insert in a pan, fill the pan with water just below the steam line.
- Boil water and add tamales, with the open side pointing up. Cook for about one hour.
- Once done cooking, let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Finally, assemble your Torte de Tamal by slicing your bolillo roll lengthwise. Remove your tamale from the corn husk and place it inside the bolillo. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 11gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 368mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!