What states in Mexico use banana leaves instead of corn husk for tamales?!
Answers:
I use banana leaves for my tamales all the time!. They are delicious!. The above answer unfortunately hasn't tried much mexican food!. It is THE way to make tamales in states such as VERACRUZ, and in the Yucatan peninsula!. Some oaxacans make their tamales that way!. Most coastal towns will offer these!.
Heck, I got them in Sanborn's restaurant attached to the holiday inn express in Ciudad Juarez, just over the border from El Paso TX!. So they definitely exist!. At sanborns, they called them "tamales verdes"!. They were great too!.
The way I make them is the traditional Veracruz way:
You COOK your masa on the stovetop with chicken broth (the cooking water from the wings, below is great) until it holds its shape!. (typical cornhusk tamales use uncooked masa)!. I add a little ground fennel seed to my masa, but that's just me!.
Make a sauce with guajillos and anchos and a little water and salt!. Add some achiote if you like it (I hate it)!.
Boil a bunch of whole chicken wings with bay leaf and salt and pepper and garlic, just til cooked through, then cool!.
Cut your banana leaves into pieces about 14x10 inches!. The way the leaves are folded up at the store will actually show you where they should be cut!. Clean and dry both sides of the squares!. Any torn pieces or pieces with holes should be put aside to line your tamalera!. For the ones you are using to wrap tamales, you'll need to run them quickly over the burner on each side!. This process softens the leaves so you can fold them!. It smells really wonderful!.!.!.!.I hate to say it, but it smells like marijuana burning!. Don't burn all the way through the leaf, and don't burn the "rib" along the top edge!. That rib holds the leaf together!. When you're ready to assemble, put the masa on the shiny side of the leaf!. It sticks less!.
Put about 2/3 cup masa in the middle of a leaf square!. Spoon a small amount of sauce over!. Put a cooked (boiled) chicken wing (I use whole wings) on the sauce, (at this point you can put a piece of a leaf of hoja santa if you are lucky enough to find it!.!.!.I leave it out!.) then top with 1/3 cup more masa!. Fold the left, then right then top then bottom sides over!. Yes, these tamales are about 3x bigger than the corn husk tamales!. I can only eat 2!.
Tie around the middle with a string and steam for a LONG time!. (At least an hour and a half!.)
Make some salsa with tomatillos and chiles de arbol!.!.!.!.you'll be in heaven!.
My husband is from Jalisco!. They do NOT make these banana leaf tamales there!. He hates them!. But I absolutely love them!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Heck, I got them in Sanborn's restaurant attached to the holiday inn express in Ciudad Juarez, just over the border from El Paso TX!. So they definitely exist!. At sanborns, they called them "tamales verdes"!. They were great too!.
The way I make them is the traditional Veracruz way:
You COOK your masa on the stovetop with chicken broth (the cooking water from the wings, below is great) until it holds its shape!. (typical cornhusk tamales use uncooked masa)!. I add a little ground fennel seed to my masa, but that's just me!.
Make a sauce with guajillos and anchos and a little water and salt!. Add some achiote if you like it (I hate it)!.
Boil a bunch of whole chicken wings with bay leaf and salt and pepper and garlic, just til cooked through, then cool!.
Cut your banana leaves into pieces about 14x10 inches!. The way the leaves are folded up at the store will actually show you where they should be cut!. Clean and dry both sides of the squares!. Any torn pieces or pieces with holes should be put aside to line your tamalera!. For the ones you are using to wrap tamales, you'll need to run them quickly over the burner on each side!. This process softens the leaves so you can fold them!. It smells really wonderful!.!.!.!.I hate to say it, but it smells like marijuana burning!. Don't burn all the way through the leaf, and don't burn the "rib" along the top edge!. That rib holds the leaf together!. When you're ready to assemble, put the masa on the shiny side of the leaf!. It sticks less!.
Put about 2/3 cup masa in the middle of a leaf square!. Spoon a small amount of sauce over!. Put a cooked (boiled) chicken wing (I use whole wings) on the sauce, (at this point you can put a piece of a leaf of hoja santa if you are lucky enough to find it!.!.!.I leave it out!.) then top with 1/3 cup more masa!. Fold the left, then right then top then bottom sides over!. Yes, these tamales are about 3x bigger than the corn husk tamales!. I can only eat 2!.
Tie around the middle with a string and steam for a LONG time!. (At least an hour and a half!.)
Make some salsa with tomatillos and chiles de arbol!.!.!.!.you'll be in heaven!.
My husband is from Jalisco!. They do NOT make these banana leaf tamales there!. He hates them!. But I absolutely love them!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Yes, that is true, Veracruz tamales are typically made with banana leaves!. From my understanding it is usually the southern and/or tropical areas of Mexico that use banana leaves!. A large percentage of Central and South American countries use banana leaves because of their tropical climate and ease of accessibility!.
My wifey originates from Mazatlan, Sinaloa (MZT) and they use corn husk on all their tamales!. So, it depends what geographical area of Mexico you are visiting, which will determine corn husk or banana leaves!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
My wifey originates from Mazatlan, Sinaloa (MZT) and they use corn husk on all their tamales!. So, it depends what geographical area of Mexico you are visiting, which will determine corn husk or banana leaves!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatan, Quintana Roo!. Most of the Mexican south, but they are easily available in most of Mexico, even in the north and the center, where corn husk tamales predominate!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
mostly in mexico ide say 99% use corn husk i never heard of them using banana leavesWww@FoodAQ@Com