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Jackfruit Tamales

Finally I made tamales that were exactly what I wanted! I never could get the dough right. It was too dry or crumbly. This time I used 50% cooked polenta from fine organic corn grits and 50% organic blue corn masa flour as a base. The filling was jackfruit that was slow cooked with Mexican spices. I only made 10 of these because I was totally guessing at how much I might need and I wasn't certain how they would turn out! Once I tasted them, I had to share them here!
This recipe should make 2 dozen.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Jackfruit1 hour
Total Time3 hours
Servings: 12
Author: Snap Pea Sheep
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Steamer
  • Large saucer
  • Plain, straight sided shot glass
  • Casserole dish

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 Cup Fine ground corn grits I used Bob's Redmill Organic grits
  • 4 Cups Water (For Polenta)
  • 4 Cups Organic masa flour I used blue corn masa harina
  • 1 Tbsp Chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Garlic powder
  • 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt
  • 3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 1/3 Cup Hot water For tamale dough
  • 1 Recipe Jackfruit Filling
  • 1 Package Corn Husks

Jackfruit Tamale Filling

  • I can Green Jackfruit
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Mexican Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Himalayan Salt
  • 4 Tbsp Water

Instructions

Instructions for Jackfruit Filling

  • I suggest making the jack fruit a day in advance as it is easier to work with a cold filling.
  • Drain the can of jackfruit. Soak in water for about 5 minutes then drain the water.
  • Place the jackfruit in a skillet or casserole dish with a cover. Break the jackfruit pieces up, mash with a fork and remove the hard pieces that cannot be easily mashed.
  • Add seasonings and water, stir to coat the jackfruit.
  • Bake in oven at 350°F for 60 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Instructions for tamales

  • Cook the polenta according to instructions. 1 cup dry polenta to 3 cups water should provide plenty of polenta. The extra 1/3 cup will yield 4 cups of cooked polenta.
  • Place flour in bowl and add all of the seasonings. Stir to incorporate the dry ingredients.
  • Add polenta into the bowl with the flour. Add coconut oil to the hot polenta for it will melt. Start mixing the masa flour and polenta together. Add a little water at a time as needed to make the mixture moist enough to mix.
  • Once the mixture is mixed together with a consistency of clay, use a fork to continually whip the dough. You could also put it all in a blender and run it for about 5 minutes. You want the dough "fluffy". Your dough will be a little wet and a little sticky.
  • If you want to be precise about your tamales, divide your dough into 24 equal sized balls. About 3 tablespoons each.
  • Find 3 dozen good sized husk plus 1 smaller one to use for the assembly. Rinse each one then arrange in a dish where water can flow around them. Submerge in hot water. Use a plate with some weight on it to weigh them down and keep them submerged. I used a plate and glass pickling weights but a heavy can will work too.
  • Prepare your steam pot. Fill with water to just under the steam basket.
  • Find a plate where the husk can be laid out flat. A straight sided shot glass works great to roll out the dough. Have a knife and spoon handy for the filling operation. I also include a water bowl to clean my fingers as needed.
  • The husk should be pliable after about 5 minutes in the hot water. Place one on the plate. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of masa dough in the top 3rd of the husk. square it up with your fingertips.
  • Place the small husk on top of the dough and use the shot glass to roll out the dough to a 1/4" thick rectangle. You may need to trim with a knife and move the cut pieces around to get a uniform rectangle. I was trying to make these without the husk on top and the dough kept sticking to the fork. This husk and roll method worked great and really cut down the assembly time.
  • Remove the top husk. Place about 2 tablespoons of the jack fruit evenly on the dough about 1/2" from the edge you are going to start rolling from.
  • Carefully roll the husk toward the center of the tamale and pull back the husk as you go so you completely surround the jack fruit with the dough. Fold the husk from the bottom and place the rolled tamale into your steamer.
  • Continue rolling the tamales and place them vertically into your steamer with the tamale tail tucked up to a side to prevent the tamale from opening.
  • Some people use the smaller strips of softened husks as "string" to tie the tamales. You can do that if you cannot get your tamales to hold together.
  • I used a 4 quart asparagus steamer for my tamales but I only made 10 to start with. I put a canning ring under the steamer basket to provide an extra inch of water under the tamales.
    You want about 3" of water in the bottom.
    A collapsible steamer insert works well with a stock pot.
  • Once all of the tamales are wrapped, place on high heat for about 5 minutes then turn down the heat to gently steam the tamales. They will need to cook for about 90 minutes.
  • Check water level about every 15 minutes or so. If you are not getting much steam then your water level is down. Add hot water as needed, pouring it down the sides or the middle.
  • Carefully remove the lid away from you to allow the steam to escape. Remove the husk once the tamale is on the serving plate.
  • Top your tamale with chili or sauce of choice. I used Trader Joe's Red enchilada sauce.

Notes

Used logoThis is a Snap Pea Sheep Recipe.
Tamales can be made with any type of filling. I usually made mine with black beans but I had to try the jack fruit. I really enjoyed them. 
I used coconut oil in these but I think you could substitute baby food. I've used pumpkin puree but my dough was a little tough. Using the polenta gave these a beautiful texture and I probably didn't need the coconut oil at all!
It is easier to make these when your dough is a little warm.