Tamales de pollo salvadoreños (Salvadoran Chicken Tamales)

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:
1 whole chicken (1.5kg), plus 4 chicken breasts (750g)
4 tsp salt
Lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dried oregano, crumbled
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 bunch coriander
1 bay leaf
4 celery sticks
Powdered chicken bouillon (typically Knorr tomato bouillon with chicken)

Spices:
1 (115g) packet tamale spices and herbs (or use the all-purpose tamale seasoning blend)
1 dried guajillo chilli
1 dried ancho chilli
¼ teaspoon annatto paste or powder

For the Sauce:
5 garlic cloves
1.75kg very ripe plum tomatoes
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
3 onions, coarsely chopped
Prepared spices and herbs
Prepared chicken, cooled
Prepared chicken broth
Powdered chicken bouillon

For the Tamales:
1.2–1.35kg boiling potatoes
3 ½ to 5 dozen banana leaf squares, approximately 20cm square (dimensions will vary depending on the size of the tamales)

For the Chicken and Sauce:
425g tin chickpeas, drained and peeled
115g jar of capers, drained
200g pitted green olives, drained (pimento-stuffed olives are good)
40 to 60 foil squares, approximately 25–30cm square (dimensions will vary depending on the size of the tamales)

For the Masa:
About 1.1kg dried masa (fine maize flour)
Chicken stock
750ml rapeseeds oil, or more to taste
Prepared sauce
Powdered chicken bouillon
Water
Salt

Tamale Assembly:
Prepared banana leaves and foil squares
Prepared masa
Chicken and sauce
Potatoes
Chickpeas
Capers
Olives

Method:

For the boiled chicken: Sprinkle the whole chicken and the chicken breasts evenly with the salt then squeeze over the juice from the lemon, rubbing it and the salt into the chicken.

Set the chicken in a large stockpot with enough water to cover by a generous 5cm. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer, skimming off any foam the accumulates on the surface of the water.

Continue cooking the chicken for 5 minutes, skimming off any additional foam or fat as it rises to the surface. At this point add the garlic halves, black pepper, cumin, oregano, bell peppers, coriander, bay leaf and celery. Taste the stock, and stir in 2 tbsp bouillon (or add to taste).

Continue simmering the chicken for 20–25 minutes, adding more hot water to keep the chicken submerged by 5cm. The chicken may not be fully cooked at this point (don't worry, it will continue to cook in a sauce later in the recipe). Remove the chicken and strain the stock, discarding the spices and solids. Set the chicken aside until cool enough to handle, and save the stock (you should end up with at least 3 to 3.5l of stock).

For the Spices and Herbs: Open up the packaged tamale spices and remove all but 2 bay leaves (the bay leaves can be discarded or saved for another use); if the packet includes a guajillo chilli, disregard adding the chile called for in the ingredients. Place the spices in a dry non-stick frying pan, along with the guajillo and ancho chillies. Toast the spices until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, if using the all-purpose tamale seasoning blend simply add the spice and herb powder to your dry non-stick frying pan along with the guajillo and ancho chillies. Toast for about 90 seconds, stirring, until the spice mixture is aromatic (but be careful not to burn the spices or your mixture will become bitter).

Turn the toasted spices and chiles, along with the annato paste, into a blender along with enough hot water to cover (about 250ml). Soak until the spices and chiles are softened, 10 to 15 minutes, then purée the mixture. Add more water if the mixture is too thick to purée easily.

Strain the mixture through a double layer of muslin (cheese cloth), discarding the solids, and set aside.

For the Sauce: In a blender (this may need to be done in batches), combine the garlic, tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, black pepper, cumin and onion. Process to form a smooth sauce, then scrape into a stock pot along with the prepared spices and herbs.

Once cooled sufficiently to handle, strip the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Place the meat in the stockpot with the sauce, thinning the sauce if desired with chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, frequently stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the mixture from burning. Simmer until the flavours are melted and the chicken is fully cooked (about 10 to 20 minutes). Taste for seasoning, adding 2 tbsp of the bouillon, or as desired. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Tamale Ingredients: Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with at least 3cm of water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender (ie when a knife pierces them easily), about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, still unpeeled, cutting them into long, large steak-cut chip-sized pieces.

Prepare the banana leaves: Trim any stem from the leaves, and wash if they are dirty. To soften, pass the leaves quickly over a stove-top burner (the heat will soften the leaf, making it easier to roll and fold), or run the leaves under very hot water (dry before using).

Prepare the ingredients to assemble the tamales. Have the chicken and sauce handy, cutting or shredding the chicken, if desired, into pieces. Place the potatoes, chickpeas, capers and green olives in a separate bowl. Arrange a banana leaf (smooth side up) over each square of foil, stacking the squares to make the assembly easier.

For the Masa: In a large pan, whisk together the masa with 2.5l chicken stock. Set a strainer over the masa, and ladle about 375ml sauce into the strainer, whisking the strained sauce into the masa (return any solids back in with the sauce). Whisk in the rapeseed oil. Taste the mixture, and add 3 tbsp bouillon (or as needed for flavour). Continue whisking in stock to thin the texture of the masa, along with additional oil as desired for richness. The final mixture should be smooth and have a consistency similar to ketchup.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Scrape the base of the pan frequently to keep the masa from scorching. Taste frequently, adding additional salt, water, sauce, chicken stock or oil. The trick is to keep the masa moving constantly; never stop moving, shaking or stirring the masa with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture comes to a boil, it is ready to use in the tamales. The mixture should be thick enough to stay in a tamale when assembling but not too thick that the tamale is difficult to fold.

Tamale Assembly and Cooking: Ladle a spoonful of masa (about 125ml) onto the banana leaf about a third of the way from the edge, and top with a little chicken and a drizzle of sauce. Add a slice of potato, a few chickpeas, a few capers and 1 olive. Fold the banana leaf over the filling to form a tube, gently tucking in the filling and removing any air pockets. Fold over the foil, then tuck in the sides, sealing the tamale. Repeat until all of the tamales are formed. (If the masa thickens too much while assembling the tamales, stir in additional stock or water to thin it back down.)

Fill the base pot of your steamer with boiling water up to the measured line, and line the steamer basket's base with a layer of banana leaves. Start laying the tamales in the steamer, first along the outer rim and then in the centre. Repeat, stacking the tamales in the steamer. Place a few banana leaves over the top layer of tamales.

Set the steamer basket over the pot, cover with a lid and steam the tamales until the masa is set, about 1 to 2 hours (timing will vary greatly depending on the size of the tamales and how many are stacked in each tamale pan).

To check for doneness, remove a tamale and gently pull away the banana leaf; if the masa sticks, the tamale is not done. The tamales are finished when the banana leaf pulls away cleanly and the masa holds its shape.

Remove the tamales and cool before serving.