Tried making tamales from scratch for a family gathering in Phoenix last month

I grew up in Guatemala and left about 8 years ago. Tamales were a big comfort food for me, so I thought I'd try making them myself. I followed my grandma's recipe exactly, used masa harina from a Mexican market, and spent like 6 hours on it. The filling was fine but the masa came out way too dry and crumbly. I learned that I probably messed up the lard-to-masa ratio or didn't steam them long enough. Has anyone else here struggled to recreate a family dish from back home after leaving? What was your biggest fail?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_wilson812d ago

Wait that altitude thing is real though? My grandma never mentioned that and she lived in a highland town. I just figured her recipe would work anywhere. My biggest fail was trying to make my mom's chiles rellenos for a potluck back in 2019. The batter kept sliding off the poblanos and I ended up with a weird cheese soup situation. I got so frustrated I just told everyone I made "deconstructed chiles rellenos" trying to save face.

daniel55212d ago

Lard-to-masa ratio is a killer. I learned that the hard way too. Dry, crumbly masa is such a letdown after all that work. Steaming time matters a ton, but I think your grandma's recipe might need adjusting for altitude (Phoenix is way different from Guatemala).