Sweet tamales ‘n’ chocolate
At a fantastic out-of-the-way Mexican restaurant called El Metate in Gallup, New Mexico, the very sweet owner, Rebecca, taught me how to make proper Mexican tamales. To see her teaching me how to make these, watch the video here LINK. Tamales can be sweet, like these, or savoury. They are basically filled Mexican dumplings – I think they're brilliant. The cornhusks they're wrapped in are used throughout Mexico. If you buy corn in season it often comes in husks, but the dried husks I'm using here work a treat. You can pick them up online or at Whole Foods Market stores. Otherwise, things like greaseproof or wax paper will also do the trick.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
What these numbers assume — 9 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup chunks (165g) | 82 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 200 g fine cornmeal
- 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 50 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ½ pineapple, approximately 150g, peeled, core removed, halved and really finely diced
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 200 ml single cream
- 100 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 pinch sea salt