GUSTAVO AGREDA – EL SALVADOR

Tamales Competition

MY NAME IS Gustavo Agreda -Valle  borne in El Salvador  and living in Canada since 1987.

I started my professional career as Executive Chef in 1995 when I became Executive Chef at Xango Restaurant. I was trained in new York by Nuevo Latino cuisine Guru DOUGLAS RODRIGUEZ at Patria Restaurant.

I have been working in around the world places like, DUBAI, LONDON, ROME, KUWAIT, CUBA, BAHAMAS and CANADA.

RECIPE: SALVADOREAN TAMAL (WRAP IN BANANA LEAVES)

To do this magnificent Salvadorean Dish we will need the following ingredients

To do Recaudo (Filling)

  • 2-lbs chicken (boneless, shredded)
  • 1-head garlic (minced)
  • 1-Spanish onion (large and diced)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 3-bay leaves (whole)
  • dash-teaspoon dried oregano
  • dash-teaspoon dried thyme
  • dash-teaspoon ground coriander
  • 6-Ripe tomatoes (Large  and diced)
  • 1lt – water
  • 1-teaspoon salt
  • 1-tablespoon achiote paste
  • 2-cups garbanzo beans (canned)
  • 3-potatoes (separately boiled & cut into 1/4-inch cubes)

For The Masa

  • 3-lbs masa corn flour
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • ½  cup of  bacon Fat (optional) sub by oil
  • 1 liter water
  • 1-tablespoon salt

To cook La Masa(batter)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl until batter acquires an even texture. Add more water if necessary. Add salt as needed

Add oil in a pot  and cook for about 30min in a very slow heat until the corn flour looks thick.

Let it rest  for about and hr.

Now we are ready.

1-cups green olives (pitted)

6 -2 ea green, yellow and red Sweet peppers(julian)

30-banana leaves  cut into  sq (pre-cooked and wash)

 

DIRECTIONS

 – The tamal Filling.

Carefully decant all ingredients (minus the boiled potato & garbanzo beans) at once in boiling water, stir vigorously until mixed and cover it until brought back to a boil.

Let it rest.

Next day,  bring it to boil, and simmer for about 20 hour, stirring every 5 minutes to avoid sticking to the bottom and burning.

Add already boiled potatoe’s and garbanzo beans.

Let it rest

La  Masa (Batter)

 

To assemble the Tamal (Wrapping)

Place olives in a bowl

Sweet peppers Julian

Lay out banana leave square

Pour a 4oz cooking-spoon of batter on center of banana leaf

Making a depression in center of batter, pour  full table spoons of Filling(Recaudo) on center of Batter.

Toss in 1 olives on top of the batter/filling.

Toss in 3 sliced of Julian sweet peppers

Wrap up tamal  with banana leaf avoiding any leakage as much as possible.

Cooking  Tamale’s (steaming)

In a large stock pot bring 2L of water to a boil (add salt).

Place a metal rack at the bottom of the Stock pot.

.

Steam for a total of 2 hours

Tamal’s are now ready to be served directly from the stock pot.

Let tamales cool down to room temperature.