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Although I haven't had the tamales at Dos Perros, the food is really good. In addition to Super Taqueria I would also check out Taqueria La Vaquita with the big cow on top. Sorry you'll have to come to Durham for all the good stuff
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but how is it labor intensive? I mean it's more work than making a PB&J, but about the same as making mashed potatoes or something.
You are steaming them with a pressure cooker, so yes - it's exactly the same.
I'm a pretty experienced cook, and it's not anywhere near the same as making mashed potatoes. Even if it was, there's no reason to look down on someone who would rather buy than make them.
They may not be difficult to make (although that is subjective, depending on a person's cooking experience), but it is time consuming and yes, labor intensive. This is why it's common for families to have tamale-making parties.
I'm a big fan of making things myself from scratch (including baking my own bread every week), but this is definitely something I would like to purchase rather than make - if for no other reason than to avoid the cleanup. When I lived in Houston, a coworker's grandmother would make these once a year and sell them, and I always bought a few dozen to freeze.
Although I haven't had the tamales at Dos Perros, the food is really good. In addition to Super Taqueria I would also check out Taqueria La Vaquita with the big cow on top. Sorry you'll have to come to Durham for all the good stuff
I was also going to mention La Vaquita. They have a second restaurant near the Kroger on Hillsborough Rd next to the Durham Freeway. Their food is fantastic!
I was also going to mention La Vaquita. They have a second restaurant near the Kroger on Hillsborough Rd next to the Durham Freeway. Their food is fantastic!
Oh wow, I didn't know that. I'll have to try it out!
Anywhere in Cary to get the real thing? And, no, I'm not going to make them. My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations!
Try Pancho Villas at Chatham Square. I don't know if they have them or not, but if they do, they're good.
They also have them in Carboro. I always forget the name of the place, but it's right next to a BP Station. Leave town on main street, going away from Chapel Hill (pass OWASA) and it's on the right, just before 54 passes over your head. The tamales are not on the menu, but they have them on the weekends sometimes. But forget about that, get a couple of their Gorditas. To DIE FOR!!!! (and don't be confused by the taco bell item with the same name. No resemblance whatsoever!!!)
My family buys fresh masa from a local market (in CA) then adds to it... that is one step of how I learned to make tamales.
Has anyone here bought any and liked it? Or just suggestions for really good favorite Mexican markets will work too.
Now my next dilemma is how to recreate my sister's wonderful red chile sauce, that takes hours to do and you can't breathe over the boiling pot or you'll burn your lungs out.
The tamales at Pancho Villas are HUGE. They're about double the size of most of the ones I've seen elsewhere.
Hmm, I came here to reply to my post (which you replied to). I was there yesterday and did not see them on the menu. Since you say they are there, I guess you just have to ask for them.
Regardless, I LOVE that place. Had tacos yesterday, YUM... And the sauces in the fridge: Yum x2.
Regarding the Masa, you can get it at any Tienda in the area, and also many grocery stores. Food Lions often have a good Hispanic seciton. The Food Lion on Kildaire and Maynard is EXCELLENT!
As for Tienda's. They abound in the area. Areas of conentration: Durham, Garner, Carborro, Sanford, Cary just to name a few.
And one other thing: Tamale's are indeed very labor intensive. Rather than comparing them to Mashed Potatoes, I'd compare them to Pecan Pies. Not the big ones, but the little individual pies. Of course with the pie-dough made by hand, and instead of pie filling, you have to put in something that cooks for about 4-6 hours, and then you have to use the liquids of the filling to make the dough..... and of course each pie has a special home-made sauce in it, and on it. And the pies are not baked in the oven, but individually wrapped, and then steamed. and......
Yeah, they are pretty labor intensive, but well worth the effort (in fact, much like driving the back-roads, the effort is part of the experience. The destination is incredible, but the journey is equally part of the experience.)
Hmm, I came here to reply to my post (which you replied to). I was there yesterday and did not see them on the menu. Since you say they are there, I guess you just have to ask for them.
I haven't been there in months, so perhaps they've taken them off the menu.
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Where to buy fresh masa?
