A Tamale Troubleshooting Guide
Learn from my mistakes, lest you end up with dry tamales.
Last week, I began my tamale journey, which felt insurmountable at the time, but in retrospect was an enjoyable project that helped me curb my school-related anxiety. Yes, I had to make salsa three times because I kept screwing up. Yes, my boyfriend and I spent two hours or so wrapping up the tamales. Yes, we made about 60+ tamales. No, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve been eating tamales every day for breakfast and lunch simply because there are too many tamales in my damn fridge. And that’s after I gave a quarter of them to my landlord and a classmate. But with every new bite, I am reminded of my tamales’ flaws. The fillings were just right, but the masa, dare I say, was a bit dry. Granted, I wasn’t even working off a recipe, just vague memories, but that’s not the point — I am an overachiever in everything I do. My tamales should have been perfect. Dear reader, I want you to avoid my fate the next time you make tamales, so here’s where I went wrong:
Salsa
As I’ve already mentioned, my salsa just wasn’t hitting the mark. I just wasn’t in the right headspace, but I also didn’t give it the proper attention it needed. Be sure to make more than you think you need. You have to reserve some for the masa.
