Fresh corn, sweet potatoes and oats are combined for a healthy, high fibre version of this traditional Latin American dish. Don't discard your corn husks - you'll need them for wrapping and roasting the delicious filling.
Ingredients
For the filling:
2-3 large ears of corn and their husks
2 1/4 cups oats
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup steamed sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Tomatillo Sauce and Fresh Tomato Sauce, for serving
Directions
- Remove the husks from the corn and set them aside. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs; you should get about 2 cups.
- Boil the corn in salted water for 5 minutes. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the corn, reserving liquid. Let the corn and liquid cool.
- Place the oats in a blender and blend until almost totally smooth. Then, place the ground oats in a medium pan and toast over medium heat, just until they start to turn brown, 3-5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the toasted oat flour and salt. Blend in the butter with your hands. Stir in the corn kernels, sweet potatoes and hot sauce.
- Using a wooden spoon to incorporate as much air as possible, beat in about 2 cups of the reserved corn liquid, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has the consistency of a cookie dough.
- Separate the corn husks. Lay them out so that each wrapper is about 6 inches wide. Put 1/3 cup of dough in the center of the husks, leaving a 1 ½ inch border all around.
- Wrap the husks around the filling to enclose it, leaving a little room for the tamales to expand during cooking. Pinch the ends and tie tightly with string.
- Preheat the oven to 500F. Roast the tamales for about ten minutes, until the tamales feel firm.
- Serve tamales immediately with your favorite salsa. Enjoy!