Southwestern Recipes
Pina Colada Tamales
These are breakfast or dessert tamales.
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 cup dried banana chips
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 22 corn husks, soaked
- Masa dough for sweet tamales
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup fruit juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 cup whipped cream (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
Masa for Sweet Tamales
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 cups Masa Harina
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup fruit juice, milk, or soymilk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Filling
- Use a food processor to finely chop the dried banana; combine the banana, almonds and coconut in a bowl.
- Use 2 husks to make strips for tying the tamales.
- Take about 1 cup of the pineapple and puree it with the fruit juice and brown sugar.
Masa for Sweet Tamales
- Cream the shortening and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the masa and salt.
- Alternately add the masa and juice to the creamed shortening to make a firm dough; beat in the baking powder last.
Assembly
- Spread 1 tablespoon filling in the center of a husk; sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of the banana/almond mixture over the dough and press a pineapple chunk into the dough. Spread another tablespoon of the dough over the the filling and fold and tie the tamale. Steam for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
To serve
- Open the tamale and top with sauce, whipped cream and lime zest.
Attribution
Vegetarian Times - October 1996