The tradition of tamales

Homemade tamales are a completely different taste experience when compared to the canned variety. Crafted by hand, wrapped in a cornhusk and fresh from the steamer, they bear little similarity to the processed canned varieties found on supermarket shelves. Homemade tamales are amazing and authentic. Unwrapping the cornhusk package surrounding the aromatic masa with its chile-infused fillings is akin to opening presents at Christmas — only these little packages are a feast for the senses.

I joined a cooking group recently to make tamales with Isidra Chavez in the Lawton kitchen of Louise Brown. Chavez, affectionately known as "Chelia,” has been making tamales since childhood. The aroma of slow-simmered pork and chiles permeated the crisp December evening. We were eager to learn the craft of making tamales Chavez's way.

She shared more than techniques and passion for this tradition that is an important part of her Hispanic heritage. She also shared her love of giving to others through the food she prepared.

She began making tamales as a child in Mexico. "We were very poor then and cooked the head of the pig until the meat fell from the bone. Our tamales were made completely from scratch. We grew our corn, dried it and then cooked it in the limewater. This was ground into the masa for the dough in the tamales,” Chavez said.

"Now we buy masa already made in a package, and we cook the shoulder of the pork we buy at the market and make the tamales in the modern way.” She showed us a large, green enamel steamer that was given to her by her mother as a wedding present 43 years ago. She has steamed tamales in that pot ever since. She said it was obvious her family expected her to do plenty of cooking as her husband gave her a tortilla press for a wedding present. The couple also inherited an unusual wooden tortilla press handcrafted by her father-in-law when he came to the United States in 1943.

She said when buying cornhusks, we should look for the biggest ones so that they can be trimmed to make the tamales uniform in size. The uniformity will allow them to cook evenly during steaming. I never realized that cornhusks had a smooth and rough side. She said tamales should be formed on the smooth side, with the rough side out. Later, she showed they were done when the masa easily separated from the husk.

Traditionally, making tamales is a family activity. Even with the use of modern prepared ingredients, the process takes some time. Cornhusks and chiles must be soaked overnight. The meat is cooked for six to eight hours in a slow cooker. Softened chiles must have the seeds and stems removed before being pureed in the blender. The husks must be cleaned before cutting and shaping for the filling.

The hostess had soaked the husks overnight and prepared the meat and chilies ahead of time, so we could experience the mesa making, assembly and steaming of the tamales in a shorter time frame. I was amazed when Chavez referred to the mesa recipe we were making (yielding 50 tamales) as a small batch. Requests from friends and family this time of year prompt Chavez to make hundreds of tamales during the holidays.

We watched as this accomplished cook made the mesa. I couldn't believe that so much salt and cumin went into the dough, but after one little taste, I knew she was right. In the authentic way, lard and pork drippings were used in making the mesa dough. Chavez kneaded the dough much the way we knead bread dough. Eventually, it became beautifully pliable. Just as bread dough becomes satiny with kneading, the mesa became silky.

Making all those tamales over the years has enabled Chavez to craft ways of doing tamales efficiently.

She has devised an unusual way of using her tortilla press to flatten a ball of dough right onto the cornhusk. She used a layer of plastic between the dough and the surface of the press, placing the prepared cornhusk underneath. Pressing spread the masa beautifully and evenly over the husk.

Assembling tamales requires a series of steps, from pressing a ball of dough onto the smooth side of the trimmed husk, filling and folding. Two simple folds covered the filling completely with masa and the final end of the triangular husk was brought up to seal the tamale on one end. All were placed into the steamer over the top of two crossed tamales in the bottom of the pot. The tamale cross was positioned over a layer of husks covering the steaming rack. Chavez then blessed the food she had assembled.

Chavez became a U.S. citizen in 1967 and recently was a Community Service Award honoree at the 2006 Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The award honors Chavez, who has shared her Hispanic heritage through cooking, dance and culture with Lawton residents.