Lard, what? These tamales are phenomenal sans the lard and sans the meat. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 cups water
1½ tsp salt
4 tsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 cups masa harina
4 ears of fresh corn (save the husks)
½ small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 serrano chili, minced
kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
½ cup cilantro, minced
Instructions
Bring the water, salt, and olive oil to a boil. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the masa.
Shuck the corn and reserve the husks. Using a small knife, cut the kernels from the cob of 2 of the ears of corn (safe the rest for other uses or to freeze!).
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan; once hot, saute the onions for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the diced tomato and spices and cook until heated through.
Add the beans, serrano, corn, and cilantro and cook until the beans are heated through.
Pinch off a piece of masa and flatten in the palm of your hand. Spoon a little bean mixture on top and top with additional masa to seal in bean mixture. Place on the cross section of two corn husks layered into a "X" to wrap the masa, sealing the sides and place into a bamboo steamer, seam side down. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Fill a wok with a few inches of water and bring to a boil. Place the steamer over the boiling water and steam the tamales until the contents are hot, about 20 minutes.