P
Mexican
Tamales de rajas con queso
Vegetarian Pueblan tamales filled with roasted poblano strips and melting cheese — one of the most beloved taco-cart and Christmas season tamales in central Mexico.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the masa
500 g
masa harina or fresh masa
prepared tortilla-grade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150 g
lard
room temperature
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
350 ml
chicken stock
warm; added gradually until masa reaches soft, spreadable consistency
Your own market
For the filling
6
poblano chillies
fire-roasted, peeled, seeded, sliced into rajas
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
asadero or Oaxacan cheese
torn or sliced; not grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To assemble
24
dried corn husks
soaked in warm water until pliable, at least 30 minutes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Hold each poblano directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning until the skin is fully charred and blistered on all sides. Transfer to a covered bowl and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Peel away the charred skin, remove seeds and veins, and slice the flesh into strips (rajas) roughly 1 cm wide. The flesh should be supple and dark-edged, carrying a mild smoke.
2
Beat the lard in a deep bowl until light and aerated. Add the masa in thirds, alternating with warm chicken stock, working the mixture after each addition. Continue until the masa is smooth, uniformly soft, and just spreadable — it should hold a shape on a spoon but not be stiff. This is where the dish lives or dies: a masa too dry will yield a doughy, dense tamale; too wet and it will not set.
3
Drain the soaked corn husks and pat lightly dry. Lay one husk flat, wide end toward you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa — no more than 5 mm — across the upper two-thirds of the husk, leaving a 2 cm border at the sides and a clear margin at the narrow end. The masa layer should be uniform; thickness here dictates the final texture.
4
Lay two or three rajas across the centre of the masa. Add a modest portion of cheese alongside the rajas — restrain the quantity; the cheese expands during steaming and will breach the seam if overfilled. The filling should occupy no more than one-third of the masa surface.
5
Fold one long side of the husk over the filling so the masa edges meet and enclose the filling completely. Fold the second long side over. Fold the narrow end up to seal. Stand the tamale upright, open end up, in a steamer basket. Repeat with the remaining husks and filling, packing the tamales snugly so they support one another and the filling cannot shift.
6
Steam over steadily boiling water, covered tightly, for 75 to 90 minutes, replenishing the water as needed. At 75 minutes, unwrap a test tamale: the masa should pull cleanly and completely away from the husk with no wet or sticky patches. If it clings, re-wrap and continue steaming in 10-minute intervals.
7
Remove from the heat and rest, still upright and covered, for 10 minutes before serving. The masa continues to set during this period; unwrapping too soon produces a soft, under-structured result.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Fresh stone-ground masa from a nixtamal mill; lard rendered in-house from heritage pork fatback; hand-pulled Oaxacan quesillo from a specialist cheesemonger; poblanos sourced from a Mexican market, fire-roasted to order.
02
Estate — Fresh masa from a trusted tortillería; good commercial lard; asadero cheese from a Latin grocer; poblanos from a farmers' market, roasted at home over gas.
03
Market — Masa harina (Maseca or equivalent) hydrated with warm stock; supermarket lard; mozzarella as a substitute for asadero; canned or jarred roasted poblanos, drained and dried.
04
House — Masa harina hydrated with water; vegetable shortening in place of lard (the tamale will lack the characteristic richness); mild cheddar; jarred roasted red peppers used in place of poblanos.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Masa pulls cleanly and completely from the corn husk with no wet or sticky residue — the definitive doneness test after steaming.
◇Touch. Beaten masa holds a soft peak on the spoon and feels smooth and uniform, with no dry lumps or pooling liquid.
◇Sight. The charred poblano skin is fully blistered and blackened on all sides before peeling — any pale patches indicate undercooked flesh.
◇Smell. A faint, clean corn steam rises from the pot throughout cooking; a sour or sharp odour signals the water has boiled off and the pot must be replenished immediately.
◇Where it lives or dies. The masa must be beaten with lard and stock to a soft, uniformly spreadable consistency — neither stiff nor slack — because density or excess moisture at this stage cannot be corrected once the tamales are steamed.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
A light, cold Mexican lager suits the mild corn richness and smoky poblano without competing with the delicate masa. Alternatively, a dry, unoaked white — a cool-climate Chardonnay or a Verdejo — matches the savoury cheese and the subtle smoke without overpowering the corn sweetness. Agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) is the canonical non-alcoholic pairing in the taco-cart tradition.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year