Preparing Corn Husk for Tamales – What to Do Before Wrapping Your Tamales

Preparing corn husk for tamales can be very tricky. The improper preparation process will influence the taste of homemade tamales you make. Well, just don’t feel intimidated by the process. It’s actually an easy process as long as you know the tricks. This page will help you to find the easiest ways to prepare corn husk to make your homemade corn husk recipe.

Corn Husk – What Is It?

If you are new to Mexican cuisine, you might not really get what the corn husk is. Generally speaking, the corn husk is the outer part of the corn’s ear. Mexicans often dry the corn husk and use it to wrap their traditional dish called tamales. The dish is one of the most popular cuisines in Mexico. Aside from tamales, Mexicans also often use the corn husk to encase steamed foods. Corn husks are easy to find all around Texas and they are available all year round. It will be better if you can find bags of dried corn husks at supermarkets or online since they are free of debris, free moisture, and free tears.

How to Prepare Corn Husks to Make Tamales

Preparing corn husk for tamales needs you to be ready for the night before. The very first thing you should do is remove the corn husks from the package. Make sure to check if there are torn or molded corn husks. It is also important to ensure that there is no debris or thread before you use the corn husks to wrap your tamales. You can put the husks in large plastic container storage to soak them. As an alternative, you can also use a stockpot, sink, cooler, or ice bucket to soak them in. Also, make sure that you give the corn husks a quick rinse under cold water to get rid of dirt just before you put them in the container. This will be very helpful if you put the corn husks in the appropriate container before you top them with hot water. Weigh down the husks with a heavy pot or Abuelita’s molcajete to avoid them floating to the surface. If you intend to make a lot of tamales at once, you might need to soak the corn husks overnight. But, you only need to soak in hot water for about two hours if you just want to make a few dozen tamales. This will allow you to have corn husk for tamales that is not only soft but also pliable.