Mexican Inspired Tamalada
Get ready for a Mexican-themed fiesta celebrating the color red with this week's tamale extravaganza!
🌽 Tamales, a beloved Mexican tradition, bring friends and family together in a festive Tamalada. These corn-based delights feature fillings like meat, beans, or cheese, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed to perfection. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a kitchen novice, join us for a night of delicious Mexican cuisine!
A Fiesta Quiz Night
Photo by Filip Gielda
🎉 Kick off the evening with a fun and engaging Fiesta Quiz Night! Before diving into the delicious tamales and other Mexican delicacies, let's set the mood with a lively trivia session.
🌮 This quiz will get everyone excited and competitive and provide fascinating insights into Mexico's rich culinary history and traditions.
🥑 From Ancient Aztec and Mayan influences to modern-day favorites, you'll discover how much you know about Mexican cuisine.
So gather your friends and family, 🍹 grab a drink (see mangonada recipe below), and get ready to test your knowledge.
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1.Traditionally, what are tamales wrapped in?
A: Corn husks or banana leaves
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2. What is the spiciest pepper in the world?
A. Ghost Pepper
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3. What plant does Tequila come from?
A: Agave Plant
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4. Where did tomatoes originate?
A: The origin of tomatoes traces back to Mexico.
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5. Which city in Mexico is often called the culinary capital?
A: Mexico City
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6. What is the main flavor of a traditional Mexican Horchata drink?
A: Rice
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7. What does Cinco De Mayo celebrate?
A: A Day to Celebrate Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla
Mexican Tamalada
Photo by Stephen Lehner
How to Plan for a Tamalada
- Create a space (typically around a large table) where many people can gather.
- Invite guests to bring whatever fillings they would like to add to their tamales (below we provide a beef tamale recipe to get you started).
- Follow the directions below on how to prepare the corn dough mixture.
- Provide an example to guests on how to wrap a tamale. Here’s a helpful YouTube
video on How To Fold Tamales. - Decide on how many tamales you want to make. Consider 1 serving is 3-4 tamales
per person. To keep things simple, we will provide recipes that will make 20-30
tamales. You can always freeze them or keep them in the fridge for a quick snack
during the week if you don't eat all of them. - To keep tamales warm after steaming, keep them in foil and place them in a
crockpot, and turn on “warm”.
Beef Tamales with Red Chile Sauce
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups Chile sauce (store-bought or homemade, homemade recipe below👇)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 20 dried red chiles (such as New Mexico, Guajillo, or Ancho)
- 6 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon salt
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. In a medium saucepan, add the chiles and water, bringing to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chiles are softened.
- Transfer the softened chiles and their cooking water to a blender. Add the garlic,ground cumin, dried oregano, and salt. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick,add a little more water to reach the desired consistency.
- Pour the blended sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
Wrappers and Masa
(This recipe is adapted from Isabel Eats Masa For Tamales recipe)
- 8 cups masa harina (half of a 4.4 lb bag Maseca)
- 1 tablespoons fine salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable oil
- 7 cups chicken broth
- In a large mixing bowl, combine masa harina, salt, and baking powder.
- Add oil and mix with your hands until the dough is crumbly and holds its shape when pressed.
- Gradually add broth, mixing for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft and spreadable like thick hummus.
- Adjust with more broth if the dough is too dry.
- Add more masa harina if the dough is too wet.
- Use the dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
🌮 Now, your flavorful beef filling is ready to be used in your tamales! 🥩 This rich and savory filling, combined with the masa dough and wrapped in corn husks, will create tamales that are sure to be the highlight of your Mexican-themed night. Enjoy! 🎉
Salsa Cook-Off
Photo by Dennis Klein
homemade salsa recipes. 🌽 Provide tortilla chips for tasting, and let everyone vote for their favorite. The winner gets bragging rights as the salsa king or queen of the night!
Mangonada
Photo by Shree Lyer
Serving Size: 2 drinks
- 2 ripe mangoes (or 2 cups frozen mango chunks)
- 1 cup mango or orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chamoy sauce
- Tajín seasoning
- Ice
- Tamarind candy straws (optional)
- Blend: Mix mangoes, mango or orange juice, and lime juice until smooth.
- Rim Glass: Dip the glass rim in chamoy, then in Tajín.
- Layer: In the glass, layer chamoy, mango blend, ice, and Tajín. Repeat until full.
- Top: Drizzle chamoy and sprinkle Tajín on top. Add tamarind straw if desired.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately while cold.
Mexican Music and Dance
Photo by Robert Ce
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