This Mess Is Ours
I had no idea how easy tamales were to make - sure, it is a time investment and there is a bit of prep involved, but when you take that first bite of your ridiculously delicious homemade tamale it was so worth the effort!
Soak You can find corn husks at most grocery stores and you are gonna need about 30. Place the dried husks in a deep pot and cover them completely with hot water. Soak for at least 2 hours until pliable. If they keep floating to the surface you may need to weigh them down to completely submerge them.
Slather Wipe excess water from both sides of corn husk with a towel. Lay husk flat on a table with widest part towards you. Measure out ⅓ cup of masa onto the husk with a spoon. Starting in the center, use the spoon to spread the masa to the bottom edge then out to the sides, leaving a border on each long side.
Stuff Pile 2-3 tablespoons of the spicy refried black beans down the center of the masa. You want enough filling so that there will be refried black beans in every bite of the tamale, but not so much that the masa cannot completely wrap around the filling, encasing it like a pig in a blanket.
Season Well Top the tamale with 1 tablespoon of crumbled, melty cheese. Wrap and Roll Fold one long, clean side over the filling and down the other long, clean side tucking the very edge of one side of the husk under the filling snuggly. Roll tightly to secure.
Tuck and Tie Fold the pointy, narrow flap towards the top of the tamale like a little purse. You can make a more authentic tamale tie by tearing corn husks into long, thin ribbons. The husks are pliable enough to tear and tie really easily.
Steam Arrange the tamales snuggly open-side-up on the rack of the steamer. Place the steamer over medium heat and cook the tamales until they are firm and no longer doughy in the middle, about 30 minutes.
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