Vaporcitos Yucatecos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or a sturdy arm and a wide bowl
• •Large tamalera or stockpot with steamer insert
• •Sharp scissors or kitchen shears for cutting banana leaves
• •Cast iron comal for charring the habanero and softening the leaves
• •Glass jar for the pickled onions

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the meat

   Place the pork in a heavy pot with the halved onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Cover with cold water by an inch and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim the foam that rises in the first ten minutes. Cook at a lazy simmer for about 45 minutes until the pork is tender enough to shred. Lift the meat out, reserve 2 cups of the broth, and let everything cool until you can handle it. Shred the pork into rough pieces with two forks. If you are using chicken thighs, the same method but only 25 minutes of simmering.

2. 2

   Build the recado

   In a blender or molcajete, combine 2 tablespoons of the recado rojo, the sour orange juice, the four peeled garlic cloves, the oregano, allspice, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Blend or grind until smooth. The paste should be brick red, almost burgundy, and smell of achiote and citrus. This is the soul of Yucatecan cooking. If your recado rojo comes from the Mercado Lucas de Galvez in Merida, even better. The mass-produced jars work, but the difference is real.

   Naranja agria is the real ingredient. The orange-lime-vinegar mix is a compromise, not an upgrade. If you live near a Latin market that carries fresh sour orange, buy them. The juice freezes well.
3. 3

   Marinate the meat

   In a bowl, combine the shredded pork with the recado paste. Use your hands. Every shred should be stained red. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes while you handle the leaves and the masa. Longer is better. Overnight in the refrigerator is best of all.

4. 4

   Soften the banana leaves

   Wipe the banana leaves with a damp cloth on both sides to remove any dust. Cut them into rectangles roughly 8 by 10 inches, working along the grain so they fold without splitting. Pass each rectangle briefly over an open flame on the stove, two or three seconds per side. The leaf will turn a deeper green and become pliable. This step is not optional. A stiff banana leaf cracks when you fold it. Asi se hace y punto.

   Reserve the torn pieces and tough spines. You will tear them into thin strips to tie the tamales closed if you want, the way the women do in the Mercado de Santa Ana in Merida.
5. 5

   Beat the masa

   In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the lard for three to four minutes until it is white and fluffy. Add the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of recado rojo. Beat another minute. The fat should turn a pale orange. Add the masa in three additions, beating after each one. Pour in the reserved pork broth a little at a time until the masa is soft, almost spreadable, like thick cake batter. Test it: a small piece dropped into a glass of cold water should float. If it sinks, beat longer. La manteca es el sabor and a vaporcito with underbeaten masa is a heavy little brick.

6. 6

   Form the vaporcitos

   Lay a softened banana leaf rectangle shiny-side up on the counter. Spread about 2 tablespoons of masa in a thin rectangle in the center, leaving generous border on all sides. The masa layer should be no thicker than your finger. Place a heaping tablespoon of the marinated meat down the center of the masa. Fold the two long sides of the leaf over the filling so they overlap. Fold the two short ends up and toward the center, making a small flat package. Set it seam-side down. Continue until you run out of masa or filling, whichever comes first. Vaporcitos are small. That is the point. They are not the big tamales of Veracruz.

7. 7

   Steam the tamales

   Line the bottom of a large steamer or tamalera with extra banana leaves. Stack the vaporcitos seam-side down in layers, packed snugly so they do not unfold. Cover the top with more banana leaves and a clean kitchen towel before sealing the lid. Add water to the bottom of the steamer, well below the rack, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a steady simmer and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid for the first hour. The masa needs the heat undisturbed.

8. 8

   Make the pickled onions

   While the tamales steam, make the cebollas encurtidas. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the sliced onion for 30 seconds. Drain. Char the whole habanero on a dry comal until the skin blisters black in spots, about three minutes total, turning often. Combine the onion, vinegar, oregano, allspice, salt, and the charred habanero in a clean glass jar. The onions will turn bright pink within an hour. They are the essential companion to anything cochinita-related, including these tamales.

9. 9

   Test and serve

   After 1 hour and 15 minutes, pull one tamale out and let it rest for five minutes. Unfold the leaf. The masa should pull cleanly away from the leaf and hold together when you press it. If it sticks or feels gummy, return it to the steamer for another 15 minutes. Serve the vaporcitos warm, in their leaves, with the pickled onions and salsa de chile habanero on the side. In Merida these are sold from baskets at the panaderia in the morning, eaten standing on the sidewalk with a cup of cafe con leche. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy your recado rojo from a Yucatecan source if you possibly can. La Anita and El Yucateco both make decent jarred versions that you can find in larger Latin markets. The fresh paste from a market in Merida is on another level, but the jarred is a fair compromise. Do not make your own from achiote seeds the first time. That is a project for another day.
• •Banana leaves come fresh in Latin markets and frozen in plastic packages in most international grocery stores. Frozen works fine. Thaw completely and wipe both sides with a damp cloth before cutting. Do not skip passing them over the flame. A stiff leaf will crack and your tamales will leak.
• •These freeze beautifully. Wrap each cooled tamale in plastic and freeze in a bag. To reheat, steam from frozen for 25 minutes or microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for 90 seconds. They are a working cook's friend.
• •If you can find oregano yucateco, use it. It is more floral and slightly menthol compared to the Mexican oregano you find everywhere else. La cocina no es decoracion, es trabajo, and the right herb is part of the work.

Advance Preparation

• •The marinated meat can be made one full day ahead and refrigerated. The recado deepens overnight and the meat tastes more like itself.
• •The pickled onions need at least one hour to turn pink and at least four hours to taste right. They keep refrigerated for two weeks and are good on everything from cochinita to fried eggs.
• •Assembled but unsteamed vaporcitos can sit in the refrigerator for up to six hours before steaming.
• •Cooked vaporcitos refrigerate for four days and freeze for up to three months. Re-steam from cold or frozen rather than microwaving when you have time. The leaf perfume comes back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 78g)