Tamales, sauce or not?

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giggler

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Do y'all eat Tamales often?

When/if you do. Do y'all serve a sauce with them? Either poured over or as a side for dipping?

If, so, what type of sauce do You use?


Sort of a Poll please, Eric Austin Tx.
 
Tamales can be savory or desert like. We have sauce with with both. Depending on the fill, savory tamales will be served with a green (chicken and pork) or red sauce (pork or beef). Sweet tamales will also have a sauce depending on filling.
 
I buy locally made pork, red chile tamales frequently and do not sauce them. They are quite moist when heated up in the microwave in their corn husks.
 
Do y'all eat Tamales often?




Sort of a Poll please, Eric Austin Tx.

I feel like I used to eat them plain. Haven't had them in maaany years now, but want to make them! Sounds soo good right now! Hey, I just remembered I picked up microwavable enchilada with verde sauce. That might be a sauce idea for you! (Ok, must go eat now. :LOL:)
 
I buy Trader Joe's beef and I use taco sauce.
When we stop at South of the Border on rt 95 (coming from or going to Florida) we stop for tamales. I use the sauce they provide (both are hot as heck and I pay for it but I love them and don't get there very often).
 
I've never had a really good tamale, so to me they were almost as much about the sauce as they were the tamale.
 
I've never had a really good tamale, so to me they were almost as much about the sauce as they were the tamale.

Not to worry Bucky. I've had what I consider some really good tamale's made by local Mexican families but for me, I've never eaten one moist enough to not need a sauce.
Could be just me, but I think a nice Ranchero Sauce is the finishing touch.
 
The best tamales I've had I made myself. They were delicious, although time-consuming. I used a stuffing of Mexican braised chicken mixed with salsa and served it with extra salsa. It's been a while; I should make them again, once I get through some more of the stuff in the freezer.
 
Having lived in the Southwest of the USA for the last 9, going on 10 years, I have had only 2 "good" tamales.
The first was in Tucson at one of the oldest Mexican Restaurants in town.
The second was while in New Mexico, MMM, the best!
No sauce required...
Now...
Here in Northern/Central Arizona, well...
Dry, crumbly, sauce is needed, and Kayelle, that Ranchero sounds fabulous
 
Usually make my own tamales, and always use a mildly spice tomato based sauce as I've never made a desert tamale (though I've eaten them made by an elderly woman that I visited with a companion. She made wonderful tamales and inssted on making them so we would come back every moth to help her wth some chores, such as cleaning her bird cage. Often, she made desert tamales.

If you are making your own tamales, make sure your Masa Harina is fresh. I inadvertantly used stale Masa harina in my last batch. The thexture was great. The filling was spot on. The sauce was very good. The finished product was inedible because of the stale flavor. I need to purchase a new bag of Masa Harina.

Bob Flowers
 
Chief, I've been keeping my bag of masa harina in the freezer for (I'm embarrassed to say how long :blush: ) and it's still good. I really need to make more tamales soon.
 
I flew up to a relative awhile ago. I hadn't had delicious tamales in awhile. Beforehand, she bought 30 tamales, hand made locally, packed in a 5 gallon bucket, neatly. We microwaved those chicken and beef tamales for breakfast, lunch and dinner for days. I don't ever recall craving salsa on it.
 
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Though I adore most Mexican food, I've never really gotten into tamales. Just don't get into the texture, even though some of our local Mexican ladies make and sell them at some of my schools, and they're very popular. I do like the sauce though.
 
I normally just sprinkle them with a salsa picante such as Tapatío or Cholula.

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I normally just sprinkle them with a salsa picante such as Tapatío or Cholula.

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Pretty much what SirLoin does....I just drizzle with a little Tapatio. :yum: There are fabulous tamales from some local ladies here...not much else is needed.
 
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