In this vegan tamales recipe, wrapped in a cornhusk you have an incredibly fluffy olive oil masa, laden with spiced up shredded jackfruit and brown lentils, and steamed to perfection. Afterwards, add alongside the freshly steamed tamales a dollop of an easy to make chipotle cashew cream, and, well, your tastebuds will be in a veritable tamale paradise.
Begin by soaking about 30 large cornhusks in warm water for about 30 minutes. Also, pull some of the smaller cornhusks into long strips of about the same quantity, and soak those as well (the strips will be your string to tie the cornhusks into place).
Now to make the masa, simply combine the masa harina, vegetable broth, olive oil, baking powder and salt in as large a mixing bowl as you have, and then fold the ingredients together with a spatula. Once there is no longer any free liquids splashing about, vigorously mix the dough for 5 minutes, until it no longer readily sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl. This WILL be an arm workout. You can also use an electric mixer of some kind, if you want. Cover the masa harina with a slightly damp dish towel until you're ready to use it.
Next, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and yellow onion for 5 minutes, and then add the drained diced tomatoes and let that cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain and then rinse the jackfruit chunks. Set them on a paper towel or dish cloth to dry, and then shred the chunks of jackfruit by pulling it apart with your fingers. Discard any bits that are too hard, or the round little seeds that pop out whilst shredding. Also, open, drain and rinse a can of brown lentils. You'll need about 2 cups cooked for this recipe. Alternatively, you can prepare the lentils beforehand by cooking dry brown lentils for about 15 - 20 minutes in boiling water, just until they're soft but still a little bit firm.
Now you can add the brown lentils, shredded jackfruit, juice from the canned tomatoes, ground cumin, chili powder, salt and ground cinnamon to the skillet. Mix this together with the other ingredient, and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes, until heated through and everything is coated in spices. Remove the skillet from the heat when finished.
You're ready to assemble the tamales. Remove the cornhusks from the warm water, and dry them off a little bit with a towel. Take the large cornhusk, and pat about 2 - 3 tablespoons of masa dough (about 3 - 4 inch square or rectangle & about a ¼-inch thin) in the center of it, more near the top than the bottom.
Next, take 1½ - 2 tablespoons of the jackfruit & lentil filling, and place it directly in the center of the masa dough, so that there's a small boarder of masa around the filling.
Fold one side of the cornhusk over and towards the center of the masa dough.
Then, fold the other side of the cornhusk the rest of the way, over the side of the husk you've already folded.
Peel the bottom of the cornhusk up and towards the center of the folded tamale. Then, take the strips of cornhusk that you soaked in water earlier, and use them as makeshift ties, holding the bottom folded bit in place. Repeat these steps until you have anywhere from 24 - 30 tamales.
Fill your steamer with a bit of hot water, just enough so that it doesn't surpass the level where the basket with the tamales will be. Place your tamales carefully in the steam basket, open side up. You'll probably have to do this in 2 batches, so no need to overcrowd the steamer with too many tamales. Anywhere from 15 - 18 is probably enough. Helpful tip: consider placing a medium-sized canning jar in the center of the steam basket, so that you can line your tamales around the edges, and it's easier to place them in the steamer without them falling apart.
Steam the tamales at steady simmer (about medium heat) for 60 - 75 minutes, until the dough is firm. At 60 minutes, unwrap a tamale and check to see if the dough is still sticking to the inside of the husk. A little stick is okay, but if the dough feels wet, let them cook for another 15 minutes. Also, remember to check and then to replenish if needed the supply of hot water in the steamer, so that your steamer pot doesn't burn on the bottom, and so that the tamales will continue to steam.
While the tamales are steaming, soak raw cashews for 30 minutes in hot water. Once they're soft, drain them and then blend with the ½ cup warm water, the canned chipotle chili, coconut yogurt, lime juice and salt until very smooth. Then, set the cashew crema aside until you're ready to use it.
Remove your tamales from the steamer when they're finished, and let them cool for 10 minutes. Serve straight out of the cornhusk with some chipotle cashew crema!