Tamale

Place 24 dried corn husks in a large heatproof bowl, cover with boiling hot water, weigh down with a small plate to fully submerge, and soak for 30 minutes until soft and pliable. Meanwhile, add 500g cubed pork shoulder to a medium stockpot, cover with 1L cold water, stir in 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes until pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove pork from the pot, reserve 250ml of the pork cooking broth, shred pork into bite-sized pieces with two forks, and set aside.

Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 50g stemmed, seeded guajillo chiles, and toast for 30 seconds per side until fragrant (take care not to burn, as burnt chiles create bitter sauce). Transfer toasted chiles to a high-speed blender, add the 250ml reserved pork broth, 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon Mexican dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Blend on high for 1 minute until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Add the shredded pork to the pan, stir to coat fully in sauce, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and clings to the pork, then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat 150g room-temperature rendered lard with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy with a texture similar to whipped cream. Add 400g instant masa harina, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and the remaining ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix on low speed while slowly pouring in 500ml warm chicken broth, until the dough forms a soft, spreadable consistency matching thick cake batter. Test doneness by dropping a 1-teaspoon dollop of dough into a cup of cold water; the dollop will float when the dough is light enough for fluffy tamales.

Drain the soaked corn husks and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Lay one husk flat on a work surface with the pointed end facing away from you. Spread 2 tablespoons of masa dough evenly across the wide, upper center of the husk, leaving a 2cm border around all edges. Place 1 tablespoon of the sauced shredded pork in a line down the center of the masa. Fold the two long sides of the husk inward over the filling so the masa edges meet to enclose the pork, then fold the pointed bottom end of the husk up toward the top to form a neat, open-topped parcel. Repeat with all remaining husks, masa, and filling.

Fill a large steamer pot with 5cm of cold water (ensure the water level sits below the steamer basket so it does not touch the tamales), then bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Stand the assembled tamales upright in the steamer basket with their open ends facing up, leaving 1cm of space between each to allow for expansion as they cook. Cover the pot tightly, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a steady, gentle steam, and cook for 60 minutes. Check the water level every 20 minutes, topping up with boiling water as needed to prevent the pot from boiling dry.

After 60 minutes of steaming, turn off the heat and leave the tamales covered in the closed pot for 15 minutes to rest and set—this step prevents the masa from sticking to the husks when unwrapped. Unwrap tamales by peeling back the corn husk, and serve warm with optional sides of salsa verde, Mexican crema, or pickled red onions.