Tamales Wrapped in Ti Leaves with Orange Chile Salsa
I call these garden tamales.
These tamales have minced katuk, gotu kola, & oregano masa with finely chopped onion thrown in. They are wrapped and steamed in ti leaves (same plant I use for my steamed bread recipe).
The fillings I used on this day were refried black beans with Cuban oregano and homemade queso fresco with holy basil. Use whatever your favorite fillings are. You only need about 1 tbsp of filling for each tamal.
I served these tamales with a mildly hot orange chile salsa.
Ingredients for the tamales:
1.5 c masa harina
3 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 c water
3 leaflets of katuk
1 leaf Cuban oregano
10 gotu kola leaves
11 ti leaves, with ends trimmed off (see photo below)
3/4 cup of whatever fillings you like (I used a combination of refried black beans and homemade cheese) you only need about 1 tbsp of each filling per tamal so if you’re using 2 different fillings you need a little less than half a cup of filling to make 1 dozen tamales.
Method:
To make the masa, blend water with katuk, gotu kola and Cuban oregano until smooth.
Then combine all ingredients (minus fillings and ti leaves) in a large mixing bowl. The masa should be more pasty than doughy.
Spread 2-3 tbsp masa on each ti leaf to 1/8-1/4-inch thickness, leaving 1/3 of the leaf bare.
Place a tbsp of filling in the center of the masa.
Fold the tamal in 1/3 sections, folding the tamal in half over itself first, then continuing to fold over the bare part of the ti leaf. Some fillings and masa might be sticking out of the edges of the ti leaf. That’s okay. If you want to, and have enough ti leaves, you can double wrap another ti leaf around the tamal in the opposite direction to enclose the exposed fillings.
Layer the tamales in a steamer basket.
Bring a big stew pot to a rolling boil with about 5 inches of water, but also make sure the water level is at least an inch below where the bottom of the steamer basket will rest.
Place steamer basket in the stew pot above the water and cover with a tight-fitting lid (preferably one that is dome shaped) for 55 minutes.
Maintain the rolling boil for 55 minutes, do not adjust the temperature. 5 inches of water is enough to make it through 55 minutes.
After 55 minutes of steaming over boiling water, remove steamer basket from heat and allow the tamales to cool at least enough to touch before serving.
Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa)
Ti is a non-toxic, edible and medicinal plant with many uses, though it is widely cultivated in the tropics as an ornamental and popular landscaping plant. The very young, tender leaves are said to be edible. The root has been used in Hawaiian culture to make alcohol and fermented drinks.
The leaves work really well for steaming. I use them for tamales, steamed biscuits, and steamed bread. The leaves have no noticeable flavor and don’t transmit their color to the food.
Orange Salsa Ingredients:
6 Aji Amarillo Peppers
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2-1 Tbsp Pink Himalayan Salt
1/4 water
Water for cooking
Makes one 8 oz jar.
Chop and de-seed all the peppers (or leave the seeds in if you like them).
Dry toast the peppers in pan on the stove with half a teaspoon pink salt until lightly blackened.
Once the peppers are toasted Add 1 cup of water every five to ten minutes to the pan, steaming them until soft, adding a pinch of salt every time you add more water.
When the water is cooked off and the peppers are soft take them off the heat and let them cool for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, blend with apple cider vinegar, more salt to taste, and only add 1/4 water if necessary for blending.
