Where it comes from
Montucas (tamales de elote) are Honduras's fresh-corn tamales, made at the corn harvest from young sweet corn rather than dried masa. Slightly sweet, wrapped in the corn's own husk.
On the plate
Unwrap a montuca and steam rises off a tender, golden, faintly sweet fresh-corn dough hiding a savory pocket of chicken in tomato guiso. Bite: the corn is sweet and creamy, almost cake-like, the filling savory and soft, a swipe of crema tying it together. Sweeter and looser than a dried-masa tamal — the taste of the Honduran corn harvest.
How it works
Ground fresh corn (not dried masa) gives a sweet, moist, almost cake-like dough; a little butter and masa harina bind it so it sets when steamed without drying. Steaming in the corn husk perfumes the dough and cooks it gently through.
Variations
With pork instead of chicken. Sweet-only (no filling), as a side. With raisins. With a strip of sweet pepper. Wrapped in banana leaf. With a richer corn-and-cream dough.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓50 min active · 70 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 118 min
Cut kernels from 8 ears of fresh corn; grind to a coarse paste.
- 26 min
Mix the corn with 80 g butter, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and a little masa harina to bind.
- 318 min
Cook 400 g chicken with onion, sweet pepper, and tomato into a soft guiso filling.
- 48 min
Soften corn husks in warm water.
- 58 min
Spread corn dough on each husk; add a spoon of chicken filling.
- 66 min
Fold the husks into sealed parcels and tie.
- 762 min
Steam upright 60 min until the dough sets firm.
- 810 min
Rest 10 min and serve warm with crema.
