Tamales Cubanos

Cuban tamales diverge from their Mexican relatives in one decisive way: the masa is made from fresh grated corn rather than dried masa harina, giving the finished tamal a moist, slightly grainy, sweetly corny texture that is entirely its own. Packed with a sofrito-scented pork filling, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed until firm, these are the food of Cuban family celebrations and Sunday gatherings.

Serves: 6 (makes 12 tamales)

Ingredients

• Masa:
• 8 ears fresh corn, husks reserved and washed
• 60g (4 tbsp) lard or vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pork filling:
• 400g (14 oz) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1cm cubes
• 3 tbsp (45ml) vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• ½ green pepper, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 100ml (7 tbsp) water

Instructions

1. Prepare the husks: gently peel them from the corn cobs, keeping the larger ones intact. Soak in warm water for 20 minutes.
2. Make the filling: heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Brown the pork cubes for 5 minutes, then remove. In the same pan, sauté onion, garlic, and green pepper for 5 minutes until soft. Add tomato purée, cumin, oregano, and salt; cook 2 minutes. Return pork, add water, and simmer 20 minutes until the pork is tender and the sauce is thick. Cool slightly.
3. Make the masa: grate corn from the cobs using the coarse side of a box grater into a large bowl — you need about 700g (3 cups) grated corn. Beat in the lard or shortening, salt, and baking powder until the masa is cohesive and slightly sticky.
4. Lay a large corn husk flat. Spread about 3 tbsp of masa in the centre to form a rough rectangle 10cm × 8cm (4 × 3 in). Place 2 tbsp of pork filling in the centre. Fold the long sides of the husk over the masa to encase the filling, then fold up the narrow ends. Tie with a thin strip of husk or kitchen twine.
5. Stand the tamales upright in a steamer basket, open end up. Steam over boiling water for 40–45 minutes. The tamal is ready when the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk.
6. Serve immediately, letting each person unwrap their own.

Cook's Notes: Fresh grated corn releases its own starch and natural sugars as it cooks, so the masa will seem very loose before steaming — this is correct. If fresh corn is out of season, thaw frozen corn kernels and blend briefly, though the texture is slightly less authentic. Tamales keep refrigerated for 3 days and re-steam beautifully.