All you need to know to make authentic Salvadoran Chicken Tamales

AUTHENTIC cooking doesn't necessarily come easy or fast. But if you're willing to invest five hours in this multistep process, you'll be rewarded with up to 5 dozen delicious Salvadoran Chicken Tamales, made the right way. (Note: We've created separate recipes for each step, with a section on assembly and cooking at the end.)

BOILED CHICKEN

1 whole (3-pound) chicken, plus 4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

4 teaspoons salt

Lemon, halved

1 head garlic, halved crosswise

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1 bunch cilantro

1 bay leaf

4 stalks celery

Powdered chicken bouillon, preferably Knorr tomato bouillon with chicken flavor

Sprinkle the whole chicken and breasts evenly with the salt. Squeeze the lemon over, rubbing the juice and salt into the chicken.

Place the chicken in a large stock pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and skim any foam that accumulates on the surface of the water.

Continue to cook for 5 minutes, skimming any additional foam, then add the halved garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, bell peppers, cilantro, bay leaf and celery. Taste the broth, and add 2 tablespoons bouillon, or to taste.

Simmer the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes, adding water to keep the chicken submerged by 2 inches. The chicken may not be fully cooked. It will continue to cook in a sauce later in the recipe. Remove the chicken and strain the broth, discarding the spices and solids. Set the chicken aside until cool enough to handle, then cut or shred.

Save the broth. There should be at least 12 to 14 cups of broth.

SPICES AND HERBS

1 (4-ounce) packet tamale spices and herbs (Miravalle brand is recommended)

1 dried guajillo chile

1 dried ancho chile

1/4 teaspoon annato paste or powder

Open the packaged tamale spices and remove all but 2 bay leaves. (Discard bay leaves or save for another use.) If the packet includes a guajillo chile, count that as the chile called for above. Place the spices in a dry skillet, along with the chiles. Toast the spices until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Place the toasted spices and chiles, along with the annato paste, in a blender along with enough hot water to cover (about 1 cup). Soak until the spices and chiles are softened, 10 to 15 minutes, then puree the mixture. Add water if needed to puree.

Strain the mixture, discarding the solids, and set aside.

SAUCE

5 cloves garlic

4 pounds very ripe plum tomatoes

2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 onions, coarsely chopped

Prepared spices and herbs

Prepared chicken, cooled

Prepared chicken broth

Powdered chicken bouillon

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. Puree to form a smooth sauce, then place in a stock pot along with the prepared spices and herbs.

Peel the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Place the meat in the pot with the sauce, thinning the sauce if desired with chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot frequently to prevent the mixture from burning.

Simmer until the flavors are married and the chicken is fully cooked, 10 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding 2 tablespoons bouillon, or as desired. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

TAMALE INGREDIENTS

2 to 3 pounds red or white boiling potatoes

3 1/2 to 5 dozen banana-leaf squares, approximately 8-inches square

Chicken and sauce

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and peeled

1 (4-ounce) jar capers, drained

About 1 heaping cup drained green olives (whole or pimento-stuffed)

3 1/2 to 5 dozen foil squares, approximately 10 to 12 inches square

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until a knife pierces easily, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, still unpeeled, cutting them into long, large "steak fry"-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. Put the potatoes, garbanzo beans, capers and green olives in separate bowls. Place a banana leaf (smooth side up) over each square of foil, stacking the squares to make the assembly easier.

MASA

About 2 1/2 pounds dried masa

Chicken broth

3 cups canola oil, more to taste

Prepared sauce

Powdered chicken bouillon

Water

Salt

In a large pot, whisk together the masa with 10 cups chicken broth. Place a strainer over the masa, and ladle about 1 1/2 cups sauce into the strainer, whisking the strained sauce into the masa (toss any solids back in with the sauce). Whisk in the canola oil. Taste the mixture, and add 3 tablespoons bouillon, or as desired for flavor.

Continue whisking in broth 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 bottom of the pan frequently to keep the masa from scorching. Taste frequently, adding additional salt, water, sauce, chicken broth 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

Prepared banana leaves and foil squares

Prepared masa

Chicken and sauce

Potato

Garbanzos

Capers

Olives

Ladle a spoonful of masa (about 1/2 cup) 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 garbanzo beans, a few capers and an 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 broth or water to thin.)

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

Cover and steam the tamales until the masa is set, 1 to 2 hours. Timing will vary greatly depending on the size of the tamales and how many are stacked in each tamale pot. 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. Makes 60 tamales.