Chorizo Rice Tamales
Ingredients
- 3 cups Carolina® Jasmine Rice
- 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup lard, at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 roasted red pepper, diced
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz ground chorizo
- 8 oz ground turkey
- 1 tbsp Sazon seasoning
- 14 to 16 dried corn husks, soaked
Instructions
Learn how to make savory tamales or Puerto Rican Pasteles de Arroz filled with dough made from Carolina® Jasmine Rice, ground chorizo and turkey, Sazon seasoning and flavorful vegetables.
Step 1
In bowl, combine jasmine rice, 1 cup water and 1 cup of the broth; let stand for 2 hours.
Step 2
In a food processor, blend together rice mixture, soaking liquid, butter, lard, salt and pepper until paste starts to form; set aside.
Step 3
Heat oil in a large skillet set over medium heat; cook onion, red pepper, tomatoes and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes or until very tender. Stir in chorizo, turkey and Sazon seasoning; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until meat starts to brown. Stir in remaining broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let cool completely.
Step 4
Place 3 tbsp rice paste in center of each corn husk. Press gently to spread rice mixture. Place 1 tbsp meat filling in center. Fold sides of corn husks inward, then fold over top and bottom edges to form package; tie with kitchen string.
Step 5
Add water to deep steamer just below bottom of rack. To prevent water from touching the tamales, cover rack with layer of banana leaves trimmed to fit.
Step 6
In pot fitted with steamer basket, arrange tamales together tightly. Cover and steam for 60 to 75 minutes or until tamales are firm.
Serving Suggestion
Serve tamales with a side of Pico de Gallo Rice Pilaf or Spicy Sriracha Rice for a kick.
Recipe Video
What are Tamales?
For many Latin American countries, the holiday season or other celebrations mean tamales! This is because they can be time-consuming to make depending on the filling and cooking method or quantity, so they are often reserved for special occasions. However, with this simple recipe, you can make homemade tamales any time!
But, what are tamales exactly? There are different varieties but our recipe is for tamales made of a flavorful masa, Spanish for dough, wrapped in corn husks and steamed until ready. The filling dough can consist of anything from vegetables to pork, chicken, turkey, etc.
Our filling uses a paste of fragrant jasmine rice, butter, lard, salt and pepper along with a mix of broth, chorizo, turkey, Sazon seasoning, onion, red pepper, tomatoes and garlic. Once your filling is ready, follow our step by step guide on how to fold and steam for great tasting tamales to share!
Tamale Varieties
Tamales can vary between Latin American countries and can be filled with a wide variety of savory or sweet fillings. If you’re excited to try a sweet filling version, try our Sweet Rice Tamales recipe topped with berries! As this recipe is prepared with another rice variety, make sure to check our guide on how to cook white rice. Looking for new dinner ideas? Try chaufa.
Ingredient Substitutions
Substitute ground pork for turkey.
If dried corn husks are not readily available, look for banana leaves.
