Tamåles Gisu (Tamales gisu) is a traditional Northern Mariana Islands recipe for a classic steamed maize flour and bacon tomale where one end is red and spiced with chilli and the other is plain and not spiced. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Northern Mariana Islands version of: Tamales gisu (Tamåles Gisu).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Tamåles Gisu is a Chamorro tamale with one red side and a non-spicy white side.
Ingredients:
For the Red Portion:
4 tbsp garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 rashers bacon, chopped
1l water
20g (2 packages) achiote powder
2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
60 to 120g white cornmeal or masa harina (corn flour) (Note: start with 60g first; if you want it thicker, add more)
ground Black pepper, to taste
Hot chilli, to taste
120ml reserved bacon fat
For the White Portion:
4 tsp garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 rashers bacon, chopped
1l water
2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
200g cream of rice
ground Black pepper, to taste
120ml reserved bacon fat
Method:
In two separate pans, sauté the garlic, onion, and bacon over medium heat; reserve about 120ml of melted bacon fat from each pot (or a total of 250ml of bacon fat), drain remaining fat.
One pot is for the red portion, the other is for the white portion
For the Red Portion: Add the water, achote powder, and chicken bouillon to the bacon mixture; return to a boil. Slowly whisk the cornmeal into the bacon mixture; the mixture should start to thicken.
Add black pepper and chilli pepper to taste.
Continue to cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add some of the reserved bacon fat if the mixture is too thick to stir; the consistency should be like thick oatmeal.
For the White Portion: Add the water and chicken bouillon to the bacon mixture; return to a boil. Slowly whisk the cream of rice into the bacon mixture; the mixture should start to thicken.
Note: If you don’t have cream of rice, toast 1 cup of uncooked rice in a shallow pan. Let the toasted rice cool then use a blender to grind the rice into a fine powder. Use this in place of the cream of rice.
Add black pepper to taste. Continue to cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add some of the reserved bacon fat if mixture is too thick to stir; the consistency should be like thick oatmeal.
Cut the aluminium foil into 20cm squares. Top each piece of foil with both mixtures (red and white portions side by side) then place one strip of bacon on top of the red and white filling before sealing the foil. For those of you worried about placing uncooked bacon in the tamales, the bacon will cook as it steams. Or, you can pre-cook the bacon before adding it to the tamåles.
Fold the sides of the foil over the tamales then fold in the two ends to seal.
Steam the freshly wrapped tamåles for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
)
Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.