Corn is the foundation of Mexican cooking and a key part of Mexican heritage and identity. The ancient Aztecs engineered a way to process corn called nixtamalization, resulting in the savory masa used to make tortillas and all their delicious derivatives. While most corn masa is dry cooked on a comal or deep fried into empanadas, tamales fashion corn masa into comforting steamed dumplings. With the help of lard, corn masa becomes a rich, firm yet fluffy dumpling filled with savory meat, cheese, vegetables, or even sweets.
Lard is another important ingredient used to add flavor and fluffiness to dishes like flour tortillas, refried beans, empanadas, and churros. If you don't have lard, vegetable shortening is an ideal substitute. Made from hydrogenated vegetable oil, vegetable shortening has the same congealed, gel-like consistency and white hue as lard and emulsifies just as easily into corn masa. Most importantly, vegetable shortening has the same effect on the texture of tamales, acting to bind the masa while also giving tamales their characteristic moist, pillowy, and tender bite. Shortening has a neutral flavor that won't interfere with the savory earthiness of the corn masa or its myriad savory, spicy, and sweet fillings. Plus, you don't need to make any measurement adjustments when substituting lard for shortening as the two are often used interchangeably in recipes like biscuits, pie crusts, and pastries.
Other Lard Substitutes And Tips For Making Tamales
Vegetable shortening is a meat-free and dairy-free substitute for lard, allowing you to serve tamales to meat eaters and vegans alike. That said, there are other substitutes for lard that will work well in tamale recipes as well, like refined coconut oil, butter, and avocado oil. Chicken fat and bacon fat will supply a similar flavor profile to lard but aren't as easy to buy off grocery store shelves.
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Tamales are a special treat and a classic Christmas dish in Mexican households because they're a tedious labor of love. Tamale dough is sticky and wet but has a propensity to fall apart during cooking and dry out or harden during storage. Consequently, it's important to ensure that you thoroughly cover the entire surface area of each tamale with corn husks, using two or more to overlap each other if necessary. Furthermore, you'll need to soak the corn husks so that they are pliable enough to fold without crumbling or cracking.
You'll fold the corn husks burrito-style to create the classic rectangular-shaped tamales. Like a burrito, you'll need to leave a substantial perimeter of masa surrounding a tablespoon or two of sweet or savory filling. Tamales taste the best fresh from the steamer as they tend to dry up the longer they sit out. If you have leftovers, reheat them in their husks in a steamer or saucepan filled with an inch of water and covered over low heat for around 20 minutes.
If you don't have lard, vegetable shortening is an ideal substitute. Made from hydrogenated vegetable oil, vegetable shortening has the same congealed, gel-like consistency and white hue as lard and emulsifies just as easily into corn masa
corn masa
Masa or masa de maíz (English: /ˈmɑːsə/; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmasa]) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, gorditas, tamales, pupusas, and many other Latin American dishes.
Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.
The best choice of fat depends on the situation! If you're making a food that can use olive oil, then go with the olive oil to get the most unsaturated fats. But if the choice is between lard and a vegetable shortening (like in the case of tamales or baked goods), lard may be the healthier choice.
Lard makes tastier and fluffier tamales than other fats do. You can replace the lard with solid fats, like duck fat or shortening, to obtain a similar texture; butter and liquid oils work but will make a denser masa.
Vegetable shortening is a meat-free and dairy-free substitute for lard, allowing you to serve tamales to meat eaters and vegans alike. That said, there are other substitutes for lard that will work well in tamale recipes as well, like refined coconut oil, butter, and avocado oil.
Is lard the same as Crisco? In a word, no, but they can be used for similar purposes. Lard is made from rendered pork fat, while Crisco is vegetable shortening made from palm oil and soybean oil. Crisco can be used in pie crust recipes and for frying.
Cooking the tamales improperly can also lead to lackluster results. Tamales are usually steamed, and timing is everything. If you cook them for too long, the masa inside will be tough, and the filling will be dry.
You need a masa that is not dry and crumbly, making you sip after every bite. But the masa should be set, not mushy or runny. It should also be light, not heavy and dense. And of course, you need a delicious filling.
By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.
Notes. Back lard is preferable for its very mild pork flavor, although more neutral tasting leaf lard or vegetable shortening can be substituted for great results. The tortillas are best eaten fresh and while still warm.
The masa and lard will make the base of the tamale dough, in a ratio of 5 pounds masa to 1 pound lard. The beef will make the filling, and should weigh 5 pounds before it gets cooked to every 5 pounds masa.
If your masa isn't adequately hydrated, the tamales will come out sandy and dry; if you haven't beaten the dough enough, they'll be too dense. The most important thing to remember is that tamal masa must be very moist and light.
Depends on what you are looking for from your crust. Vegetable shortening, esp. Crisco makes a very solid and well formed general crust for most pies. Lard makes a crisp crust great for fruit and custard pies but lack a bit for meat pies and cobblers in my opinion.
A wok with long sloping sides also works great for deep-frying. 2) Use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoking point, like peanut, sunflower, safflower, or soybean oil. Vegetable shortening and lard also work well.
Vegetable shortening is a semisolid fat that is mostly solid at room temperature. It is named for the “short” or crumbly texture that it produces in cooking and baking applications, particularly in shortbread, piecrusts and puff pastry.
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