Hot Tamales!

my mom came to san francisco this weekend and we made tamales! julia, marissa and little gigi came over for the tamale party too. marissa had all the mad tamale masa spreading skills. our tamales weren't heavy on the masa, just a thin layer so we could add more filling. we kept it simple with two types - mushroom & onion with cheese and chicken.

we steamed about 30 and set aside a bunch to freeze to eat later. they were the perfect size to eat with one hand. instead of adding the usual salsa to the tamales i whipped up some cilantro-lime crema. they turned out delicious!

if you live in SF then you know about the tamale lady... she always shows up at some mission bar just when you need it. love her!


cilantro-lime crema recipe:
1/2c sour cream
2tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (1-1 1/2 limes)
1/4tsp finely minced lime zest
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp hot sauce

Whisk together the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, zest, salt and hot pepper sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Let stand at room temperature for 30 mins. to allow the favors to develop. Serve drizzled over tamales. Enjoy!!

mushroom filling

chicken filling







cilantro-lime crema



spreading the masa







ready for the filling



into the steamer



all done!