Adobo Chile And Cheddar Vegetarian Tamales Recipe

if you've never had a tamale, you're missing out on a versatile dish that showcases corn front and center. From the husks that contain the hearty stuffing, to the foundations of the filling (made with masa, or ground nixtamalized maize), corn is omnipresent. Mashed recipe developer Kara Barrett shares this adobo chile and cheddar vegetarian tamales recipe that is perfect for tamale newbies and regulars alike. Although the recipe requires a bit of patience, Barrett notes that "Eating homemade tamales fresh is truly the best way to enjoy them." 

Part of that comes down to the handmade preparation, which sets it apart from mass-produced alternatives. "The effort to create a buttery, whipped masa dough results in a soft, fluffy texture that you won't find from store-bought versions," she explains. If you don't have a few hours to set aside for the process, Barrett offers tips on how to break the recipe down into steps. You'll be rewarded with a dozen tamales plus extra filling if you can't get enough.

For this recipe, you'll need dried corn husks (rinsed), canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, dry tamale masa, kosher salt, baking powder, unsalted butter (at room temperature), and warm vegetable stock.

Soak cleaned corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, mash chipotles with a fork, reserving 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce. Set reserved sauce aside.

Mix peppers with cheddar cheese. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk dry masa ingredients: masa flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whip butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Mix reserved adobo sauce into butter.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and stock into the butter. Set aside for 30 minutes to hydrate the dough.

After the time is up, using a hand mixer, whip masa ingredients until very fluffy, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Use an ice cream scoop to add prepared masa to the smooth side and straight end of a husk.

Spread the masa out onto the husk, making sure to leave some room around the edges.

Add a few teaspoons of chipotle/cheese filling, careful not to reach edges.

Fold lengthwise and then fold the narrow end up. Repeat until all tamales are formed.

Stack tamales upright (seam side out) in a large pot lined with remaining corn husks and 2 inches of water. They will lean against each other to remain upright.

Steam, covered, for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.

Considering this recipe requires almost two hours of prep work and another hour and a half of cooking, it's a good thing that Barrett confirms you can break it down into steps. This makes homemade tamales a more achievable recipe even if you can't spend multiple hours in the kitchen at once. "You can create your filling and clean and soak your husks ahead of time," Barrett instructs. 

The husks need to soak for half an hour, slowing down your efforts to whip up this recipe on a whim. Prep them in the morning or the day before, and you'll be one step closer. The cheese and chipotle filling isn't super time consuming, but mashing the peppers, shredding the cheese (if you aren't buying it pre-shredded), and combining the two still takes a bit of time.

"You can also make your masa ahead of time but I think fresh masa is best," Barrett concludes. Sure it means you can move straight to the assembly when you're ready, but making masa requires a decent amount of effort, so why not set it up to taste as good as possible?

Part of the appeal of tamales is their versatility — there's a wide range of savory and sweet tamales recipes out there, and plenty more to experiment with. Barrett agrees, offering some tips to customize them as you please. "You can play with different types of fat," she says and explains, "In this recipe, butter imparts flavor and any leftover sticks can be used for other cooking projects." If it doesn't have to be vegetarian, lard is traditionally used, but vegetable shortening is an easy swap.

Alternatively, Barrett recommends using spices to add more flavor to the masa dough. For example, cumin, coriander powder, paprika, or chili powder would all work. Then, you could switch up the filling — this could be as simple as swapping out the type of cheese, adding diced vegetables or meat, or making it sweet. "This recipe provides a good base for savory masa dough but you could easily make this sweet with an addition of sugar and a sweet filling," Barrett suggests.