Dirty South Hot Tamales With Jackfruit and Cilantro Sauce
Chef-author-activist Bryant Terry created these plant-based tamales in honor of the tamales he grew up eating, sold by an independent Black food vendor known as the “Tamale Man” who parked outside a Memphis skating rink. In a nod to the Southern African American tradition of tamale-making, he uses grits, a hot tamale staple, in the dough instead of masa or cornmeal. He fills the tamales with jackfruit, a tropical fruit that mimics the texture of meat. Soaking the grits overnight cuts their cooking time by half.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$44 At Amazon
OXO Stainless Steel Good Grips Steamer with Extendable Handle
$23 $20 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$15 At Amazon
Large Pot
$50 $37 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$70 $40 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 15
Ingredients
Filling
Tamales
sauce and Assembly
Preparation
Filling
Step 1
Drain jackfruit in a colander and rinse well. Transfer to a kitchen towel, gather ends, and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible. Sort through jackfruit for pieces with a fibrous core; cut away and discard cores. Pull jackfruit into small pieces with 2 forks. Return to kitchen towel; squeeze again to remove any remaining liquid. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Cook celery, bell pepper, and onion, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, liquid aminos, Creole Seasoning, and ¼ tsp. salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and reserved jackfruit. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until starting to thicken, 18–20 minutes. Taste filling and season with more salt if needed. Let cool.
Tamales
Step 3
Place corn husks in a large bowl and pour in warm water to cover. Weigh down with a plate to keep husks submerged. Let soak while you cook the grits.
Step 4
Drain grits in a fine-mesh sieve. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat to low. Whisk grits, salt, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne into broth. Simmer, whisking every few minutes to avoid clumping and scraping bottom of pan to prevent sticking, until liquid is absorbed and grits are tender, 15–20 minutes.
Step 5
Scrape grits into a medium bowl, stir in oil and baking powder, and chill until cool, about 30 minutes. (Cooled grits should have a spreadable consistency similar to fresh ricotta.)
Step 6
Spread out a husk on a work surface with the wide end farthest from you. Spread ½ cup grits on center of husk, leaving 2" at sides, 3" at bottom, and 1" at top. Place ¼ cup filling in center of grits and form into a log down middle of tamale. Fold long sides of husk together, gently pressing grits to seal in filling, then fold over to one side. Fold narrow end under tamale and transfer tamale to a large plate. Repeat process with remaining filling and grits.
Step 7
Fit a stockpot with a metal steamer insert and pour in water to reach bottom of steamer basket. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Place tamales upright in basket with open end facing up. Cover pot and steam tamales, checking every 20 minutes and adding more water if needed, 50 minutes.
Step 8
Remove a tamale from pot and let cool 3 minutes. Remove husk; grits should be somewhat firm and hold their shape. If tamale is not done, carefully refold and return to pot. Cook tamales 5 minutes more and check again. Repeat as needed until tamales are done. Remove pot from heat, uncover, and let tamales rest 10 minutes.
Sauce and assembly
Step 9
While the tamales are resting, cook garlic, oil, and coriander in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool, then transfer to a blender and add jalapeño, lemon juice, 1 cup cilantro, and ¼ cup water. Blend until smooth; season with salt.
Step 10
Transfer tamales to a platter; open up. Drizzle with sauce; top with cilantro sprigs. Serve with pickled cauliflower.
