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Mexican

Tamales de rajas con queso

Non-vegetarian

Fluffy masa tamales filled with strips of roasted poblano, melting cheese and tangy tomatillo salsa, wrapped in corn husks and steamed.

Tamales de rajas con queso is a Mexican dumpling dish from Mexico, ready in about 2 hours 30 minutes and made with masa harina, poblano pepper and oaxaca cheese. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Unwrapped tamal with chilli strips and cheese in its corn husk
Photo: Selmma Ledry / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
1 h
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
15 min
Total
2 h 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
645

Ingredients

6 servings (about 16 tamales)

Masa

Filling

Salsa

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes to soften.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Simmer the tomatillos (opens in a new tab), jalapeño (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in water for 8 minutes, until the tomatillos turn olive-green and soft, then blend with the cilantro (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  3. Step 3

    Beat the lard (opens in a new tab) until white and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Mix the masa harina (opens in a new tab), raising agent and salt, then beat into the lard alternately with the warm stock to a soft, spreadable dough. A small ball should float in cold water.

  4. Step 4

    If you are starting from whole poblanos (opens in a new tab), char them over a flame or under a hot grill until blackened, sweat them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, peel, seed and cut into strips. Spread about 3 tbsp masa (opens in a new tab) in a thin layer over the wide end of each husk. Add a few poblano strips, a piece of cheese and a teaspoon of salsa. Fold the sides in to enclose, then fold up the narrow end.

    • 25 min
    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Stand the tamales upright, open end up, in a steamer (opens in a new tab) over simmering water. Cover with extra husks and a lid and steam until the masa (opens in a new tab) pulls away cleanly from the husk, about 75 minutes. Rest 15 minutes.

    Put a coin in the water: when it stops rattling, the pot needs topping up with boiling water.

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Well documentedTamales are pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican food; this filling is popular in central Mexico.Also popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Dumplings · Main courses · Street food
Cooking method
Steamed, Roasted
Taste
savoury, creamy, tangy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
With the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Masa harina · Poblano pepper · Oaxaca cheese · Lard · Baking powder · Vegetable stock
Techniques
Roasting · Broiling · Simmering · Steaming

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom oaxaca cheese
  • May contain: Wheatfrom baking powder
  • May contain: Glutenfrom baking powder, vegetable stock
  • May contain: Celeryfrom vegetable stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

645 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 317 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 37%
  • Fat 53%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy645 kcal204 kcal
Protein16.2 g5.1 g
Carbohydrate59.2 g18.7 g
Net carbohydrate53.2 g16.8 g
Sugars4.3 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6 g1.9 g
Fat38.3 g12.1 g
Saturated fat16.4 g5.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol68 mg21 mg
Sodium1246 mg393 mg
Salt equivalent3.1 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
425 mg
Calcium
469 mg
Iron
6.5 mg
Magnesium
87 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
53 µg
Vitamin C
59 mg
Vitamin D
0.8 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
185 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: dried corn husks.
  • Poblano pepper: Raw green bell pepper (FDC 170427) used as a stand-in for the mild, thick-walled poblano.
  • Oaxaca cheese: Queso asadero (FDC 173437) used as a stand-in; both are mild, stretched-curd Mexican melting cheeses.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Under-beating the masa, which makes heavy, dense tamales.

Serve with

  • Serve with the remaining salsa and a mug of champurrado or atole.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze in their husks up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Steam for 15 minutes (25 from frozen).

Variations

  • Tamales rojos de puerco: Filled with pork in a red guajillo-chile sauce.
  • Tamales de dulce: Sweet pink tamales with sugar and raisins.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

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