TRI-CITIES, Wash. –
Paulina Perez started her business “Eat Hot Tamales” back in 2017 with her mother “Mama Lupe”. Mama Lupe has been making tamales for over 50 years and it is a tradition that she has passed down to her kids.
Eat Hot Tamales has one location at 608 Williams Blvd. in Richland. However, they are at multiple different markets and festivals around town.
Eat Hot Tamales has 6 different types of tamales to choose from as well as multiple side dishes. You can buy anything from 2 tamales all the way to a dozen.
You can order tamales straight from their website www.eathottamales.com or you can call in an order at (509) 551-1110 for both takeout or delivery.
if you would like to try and make tamales at home here are some of the things that you’re going to need:
Tamale ingredients –
– Masa harina (corn flour that can be found in the Mexican aisle at a grocery store)
– Baking powder
– Salt
– Cumin
– Broth (optional for flavor)
– Cooked meat or filling of your choice
– Lard
– Dried corn husks
Instructions:
1. Soak corn husks until soft
2. Prepare filling (heat up if it was made the night before)
3. Make masa dough – in a large bowl mix together lard and broth until fluffy, then add in the rest of the ingredients until you achieve a peanut butter like texture that is still sticky.
4. Assemble tamale – spread masa mixture on the glossy side of the softened corn husk with a spoon. Once you have an even layer of masa, place filling in the middle (be careful not to over fill or else it wont close properly). Then, fold your tamale like a brochure and place them vertical in a steam pot.
5. Cook on a stovetop – Bring water in steam pot to a rolling boil, once it is boiling reduce to a simmer. Place extra corn husks on the bottom of the pot to make sure your tamales don’t touch the water. Then let them cook for about 35-45 minutes until firm.
