We would make an endless list of dishes that bear the stamp of northern homes and that, of course, have managed to conquer palates around the world. Starting this list, we would have to start by naming one of the most popular entrees and sides: green tamales. They are made from corn, one of the star products of Peruvian gastronomy, as well as coriander; both providing the flavor and aroma that make it unique.
Some families in northern Peru, especially in Piura, maintain the tradition of preparing these tamales with the help of a mill. These are wrapped in the same corn husk (choclo) and then taken to cook in large pots. These tamales are usually protagonists in the meals that are usually enjoyed at family gatherings or local festivities
Ingredients to make green tamales:
• 2 kilograms of fresh shelled corn (choclo)
• 4 cups of coriander leaves
• 400 grams of pork
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 300 grams of yellow pepper
• 20 corn husks
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• Wick (to tie)
How to make green tamales:
To start preparing the green tamalitoz, cut the pork into small pieces and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a small pot and fry all the pork, making it look like pork rinds. This oil where you fried the chicharrón, reserve it.
On the other hand, prepare the shelled corn. Remember that the fresher, the result will be much better. Also separate the coriander leaves. Like the corn, try to get the freshest coriander there is, this will make the green tamales get the color and aroma that characterizes it.
Clean well and rinse the yellow peppers to prevent the result from being very spicy. It’s time to start processing all the ingredients. With the help of a mill or a food processor, gradually place the corn, coriander, yellow pepper and pork until you get a pasty mixture.
When you finish processing all the ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste and stir the mixture slightly. Add the oil from the fried pork that you reserved in step 1 to the mixture. Mix gently and finally taste the level of salt. In a large pot, heat water until halfway. This is where you will later cook the tamales. Now it’s time to assemble the green tamales. Carefully open the pancas, join two of them by the widest side and start putting a good portion of the mixture on them, as you can see in the image.
Trick: before starting with the assembly of the green tamales, I recommend you pass all the pancas through hot water, this will help make it easier to wrap the tamales.
Once stuffed, carefully wrap each side of the tamale and then join the tips of both pancas to achieve the following shape. With the help of strips of wick or some thin rope with which you can tie, secure each tamale, in such a way that at the time of cooking they do not fall apart.
Stuffed, wrapped and tied all the tamales, take them to cook in boiling water, which you previously left heating. Carefully place one on top of the other inside the pot. If you have pancas left over, you can place them on top of all the tamales, serving as a roof so that cooking is more uniform inside the pot. Let the green tamales cook for about an hour. After cooking time, our Peruvian green tamales will be ready. They should be of a compact texture, but smooth when tested. Remove all the tamales from the pot and let cool for a few minutes before opening and serving. You can accompany them with a Creole bramble. It is also highly recommended to serve it as an accompaniment to many Peruvian Creole dishes, like this one: “Chinchana dry soup”.
