Banana Leaf Tamales and Cotija substitutes.

[markemorse]

Hiya!

I'm supposed to be hosting a mini-tamalada this weekend and I just realized that my big bag of dried corn husks is AWOL. Corn husks are not something you can buy in Amsterdam AFAIK, but banana leaves are all over the place and I know that tamales are frequently done this way as you near the coasts in Mexico...

My question is: has anyone done this? I've seen some recipes (and our eG blogs covering cornhusk tamales), but I'm looking to hear about any experience/tips/nonos when working with banana leaves instead...It looks like they're usually wrapped square (unfortch the miraculous world of the internets turned up about 7 photos...they might as well have been taken from across the street there's so little detail). Any suggestions welcomed.

And....I just found out that there are vegetarians involved, so naturally I turn to cheese. I'd love to do a black bean/cotija tamale but I have no access to mexican cheeses, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experiences with more internationally available similar cheeses and can recommend something with a similar melt/taste profile. If pressed I'll probably use a harder Dutch goat cheese...or a very mild feta if I can find one....anyway...

OK thanks,

mark

Edited November 9, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[markemorse]

Well, I had a great resource right under my nose: Susana Trilling's Seasons of My Heart, which I've cooked out of quite a bit but never looked at the tamale recipe details b/c...well, I don't really know! ...anyway, she has two rather detailed banana leaf tamale recipes. Good deets like: parboiling the leaves for 30 minutes beforehand (unless you're using frozen, then defrost normally and parboil for 10), etc. I'd still love to hear about personal tips tho....and cheese recs.

mem

[Abra]

I've never parboiled banana leaves for tamales at all. I can only get frozen, but I don't see why you'd boil them. I just rinse them and pat them dry.

I agree that feta is the best substitute for cotija, but I also think that a Dutch cheese like the Dorothea potato cheese, which tastes divine and melts beautifully, would be delicious in tamales.

[markemorse]

Thanks Abra, good to have a word from an experienced tamalinha, -ster, etc.

Ms. Trilling's leaves are apparently tougher than yours, she parboils them to make them pliable.

As for cheez: I'm going to cruise the Turkish places tomorrow looking for a fresh mild feta variant...

Chufi's also given me hope about finding corn husks in town, so I'm feeling better about Sunday...but it sure does suck when you're absolutely sure something's in the cupboard, you'd bet money, it's been there forever, and then....well, it's not?

thanks for the help,

mark

[Bill/SFNM]

Mark,

I soften frozen banana leaves by passing them over an open flame, just until they turn a darker shade of green. This makes them pliable and fragrant.

Bill/SFNM

[Domestic Goddess]

Bill - that's how we would make our banana leaves pliable too for cooking or serving food. And you're right, grilling them over the open flame makes them more fragrant.

[markemorse]

Thanks Bill and DG...do you guys do this toasting as part of the tamale assembly line, or can it be done a bit ahead of time? I guess I'm asking if they need to be warm to be pliable or if something about having warmed them once renders them permanently pliable...you know? Just trying to work out the timetable...

thanks a bunch,

mark

[Domestic Goddess]

Mark - this can be done ahead of time.That makes it easier for you to do other stuff when you finish warming a whole batch up first.