Oaxacan Pumpkin Tamales

Name: Oaxacan Pumpkin Tamales (Tamales Miahuatecos)
Yield: 12 to 14 tamales
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil; 2 cups cooked or canned pureed pumpkin or winter squash (drain slightly if very watery); 1½ teaspoons ground true (Ceylon) cinnamon, preferably freshly ground in a spice grinder, or ½ teaspoon ground U.S. “cinnamon”; 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 5 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 to 2½ cups warm chicken stock or water; 1 pound banana leaves (available in Oriental and Latin American stores), thawed if frozen; 3 ounces piloncillo, grated or crushed, or ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 2 heaping cups masa harina; 2 cups water; 2 teaspoons aniseed; Salt to taste; 2 to 3 chiles, either dried Oaxacan pasillo or dried or canned chipotle; ½ pound lard (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons); 2 to 2½ cups cooked or drained canned black beans

Tamales Miahuatecos

Preparation info

12 to 14
tamales

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Food from My Heart

By Zarela Martínez

Published 1992

About

These unusual tamales, made from a sweetened, pumpkin-flavored ground corn dough and filled with spicy bean puree, are from the Miahuatlán region in the state of Oaxaca. They have a rich, complex combination of flavors including smoked pasilla or chipotle chiles, Ceylon cinnamon, garlic, and the anise-flavored hoja santa. (This recipe substitutes an anise-based tea.) They make a wonderful accompaniment to roast pork or chicken.

In the original recipe the tamales are wrapped i

Ingredients

Americas
Mexico
Main course
Oaxaca
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method