[OT] Recipe needed

On 2006-06-27, Victor Martinez penned:
Yowie wrote:
I had no idea what Tamales were - I'm still not sure. Sort of a
Mexican version of sausage roll?

Not quite. It's masa stuffed with something and steamed. See below.

I've always seen tamales wrapped in a corn husk.

Yowie, maybe a few pictures will help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Victor Martinez wrote:
Yowie wrote:
I had no idea what Tamales were - I'm still not sure. Sort of a
Mexican version of sausage roll?

Not quite. It's masa stuffed with something and steamed. See below.

What on earth is masa or maseca? What could I substitute?

Masa is made by cooking dry corn with lye, then rinsing and grinding
to
a paste. Maseca is a dry version that is easy to ship and thus more
readily available. I'm afraid there are no substitutes, but I'm sure
there's an ethnic market somewhere that might stock it.

Victor, I have to share this with you. Remember we talked about menudo and
someone told me it was a side dish, not a soup? Heheh. I went to a Mexican
restaurant the other day to get dinner to go (coincidentally I ordered
tamales). While I waited for my order I asked if they serve menudo and was
told nope. What about Pazole? Nope. I just had to chuckle. You mean I
make these things at home but you don't serve them in your Mexican
restaurant? LOL Struck me as funny.

And how to I tell them their white cheese dip needs some kick? I got it
home and had to add ground chipotle and Mexican oregano. While I was there
I inquired about work but no go. Guess they don't hire Scottish blondes.

Jill

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
On 2006-06-27, Victor Martinez penned:
Yowie wrote:
I had no idea what Tamales were - I'm still not sure. Sort of a
Mexican version of sausage roll?

Not quite. It's masa stuffed with something and steamed. See below.

I've always seen tamales wrapped in a corn husk.

Yowie, maybe a few pictures will help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale

They are steamed in corn husks but they have a masa dough inside the corn
husk wrapper.

Jill

On 2006-06-27, jmcquown penned:

They are steamed in corn husks but they have a masa dough inside the
corn husk wrapper.


Right. The masa is the best part (as far as I'm concerned).

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
Yowie wrote:
I had no idea what Tamales were - I'm still not sure. Sort of a Mexican
version of sausage roll?

Not quite. It's masa stuffed with something and steamed. See below.

What on earth is masa or maseca? What could I substitute?

Masa is made by cooking dry corn with lye, then rinsing and grinding to a
paste. Maseca is a dry version that is easy to ship and thus more readily
available. I'm afraid there are no substitutes, but I'm sure there's an
ethnic market somewhere that might stock it.

Probably in Sydney there is, but not down here - our Ethnic specialty shops
tend to be Italian, Macedonian or Vietnamese (reflecting the 3 waves of
immigration after the British got here)

Now here's an even more ignorant question - do they make tamales in Peru or
Chile? The reason I ask is that I share an office with a Peruvian woman
who - because there aren't enough Peruvians around here - is active in the
Chilean community. If mesa or maseca is something they have in Chile or
Peru, she probably knows where to get it from. Other than that, the hardest
ingredient to get would be the corn husks - unless I bought cobs of corn and
dried the husks msyelf. And as to peppers or chillis, well, I wouldn't know
one type of chili from another, all I know is that big and round means
"Capsicum" and is safe to eat, and anything small is likely to be fiery hot
and dangerous :-)

Wish I could post something uniquely Australian back, but I know nothing
about traditional Aboriginal cooking, and most "Australian" cooking is just
imported from elsewhere (give or take a lamington, pavlova & timtam or two)


Yowie

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2006-06-27, Victor Martinez penned:
Yowie wrote:
I had no idea what Tamales were - I'm still not sure. Sort of a
Mexican version of sausage roll?

Not quite. It's masa stuffed with something and steamed. See below.

I've always seen tamales wrapped in a corn husk.

Yowie, maybe a few pictures will help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale

Wow! Thanks for the link, Monique. Now I want to try one!

Yowie

jmcquown wrote:
They are steamed in corn husks but they have a masa dough inside the corn
husk wrapper.

Actually, they don't *have* to be wrapped in anything... and I
personally prefer those wrapped in banana leaves.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
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Yowie wrote:
Now here's an even more ignorant question - do they make tamales in Peru or
Chile? The reason I ask is that I share an office with a Peruvian woman

I don't think so. I've never been to a peruvian restaurant, but I think
they're too far south to have had a corn-based diet. Don't potatoes come
from Peru?

who - because there aren't enough Peruvians around here - is active in the
Chilean community. If mesa or maseca is something they have in Chile or
Peru, she probably knows where to get it from. Other than that, the hardest

Wouldn't hurt to ask...

ingredient to get would be the corn husks - unless I bought cobs of corn and
dried the husks msyelf. And as to peppers or chillis, well, I wouldn't know

Can you get banana leaves? Those are way better, IMO.

one type of chili from another, all I know is that big and round means
"Capsicum" and is safe to eat, and anything small is likely to be fiery hot
and dangerous :-)

But fiery hot is what makes them good!

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
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Yowie wrote:
dried the husks msyelf. And as to peppers or chillis, well, I wouldn't know
one type of chili from another, all I know is that big and round means
"Capsicum" and is safe to eat, and anything small is likely to be fiery hot
and dangerous :-)

http://www.recipehound.com/chile_dried.html
http://www.recipehound.com/chile_fresh.html

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

jmcquown wrote:
And how to I tell them their white cheese dip needs some kick? I got it
home and had to add ground chipotle and Mexican oregano. While I was there

Tell them "le hace falta chile".

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he