I am going to make homemade tamales when i was at the store?!
Answers: two mexican ladies helped pick out the spices i'd use but their english was not too understandable, i don't speak spanish the reciepe doesn't call for whole annatto or hulled pumpkin seeds but thats some of the ingredients they told me to get what is the annatto and how do i use it also the seeds i am sure there for flavor but how do i use them i have a lot of experience cooking but not mexican food so thanks for the help
Those nice Mexican ladies were helping you pick out the spices for their own traditional tamales. There are dozens of sorts of tamales, each unique to a certain area or town or sometimes even family. The tamales from just over the Mexican border in Arizona are completely different from what you might find along the coast or down in Yucatan.
Annato is often used as a coloring agent - it produces a lovely yellow or even red, depending on how much you use. It is, in fact, the stuff that is often used to color cheddar cheese orange. I most often use whole annato in my kitchen to produce Annato oil, required by a couple of favorite recipes but unobtainable where I live at any price. To do that you put about a cup of the whole annato in a small heavy saucepan, cover it with oil about an inch deep, then heat it until the oil is just under the smoking point. Remove from the heat and let everything sit until stone cold, then strain out the seeds and store the oil in a small jar. Keeps a year or so.
The pumpkin seeds are a prime ingredient in one of the best Mole sauces made in Mexico. Often served with turkey - and used for a famous tamale. If your recipe does not require them this time, stick them in the freezer (airtight). Next time you can try a different recipe.
Las Senoras were being very helpful. It is just that they are picking spices from their region. Here in Texas, right by the boarder we don't use those things. In fact no two Hispanic women make tamales the same. When I make them I cook the meat and use the liquid from that to loosen the masa. Then I add lard, salt, Chile powder to it.
That's my way. Where all the flavor will be is in the meat! YUM-O...