Glenda is the Executive Chef of the modern casual collection of restaurants in Los Angeles called Granville. Chef Glenda has spent years in the kitchen recipe testing for the globally-inspired menu boasting fresh, quality food made from scratch daily that is now featured at Granville and has become a staple of the Los Angeles dining scene. When the holidays roll around, Chef Glenda goes home and does it all again to cook up a special meal for family and friends.

Her favorite holiday recipe that vegans and non-vegans alike will enjoy is her Vegan Soy Chorizo Breakfast Tamales. Working alongside her mom and sister, the assembly of a tamale is an all day task. Granted they take hours to prepare and steam, you end up with a next-level delicious dish. She’s shared the recipe with us so you too can make it at home.

Vegan Soy Chorizo Breakfast Tamales

Yield: About 30 tamales

Soy Chorizo Filling

• 3 Poblano Chiles
• 3 Yukon Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 ¼ cups Diced Onion (about 1 small)
• 1 TBSP Minced Garlic (2 cloves)
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano leaves
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• ½ tsp Ground Cumin
• 11 oz link Soy Chorizo

Tamal Masa

• 14 oz Vegetable Shortening
• 1 TBSP + 1 tsp California Chile Powder
• 3 1/2 lbs Masa for Tamales (no lard, unprepared)
• 1 TBSP + 1 tsp Sea Salt
• ½ cup Vegetable Broth (divided)
• 2 ½ tsp Baking Powder

Assembly Ingredients

• 3 oz package Dried Corn Husks
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth

1. To roast the chiles, wash poblano chiles and place on BBQ or open stovetop flame. Blacken the chiles turning frequently and evenly blacken until the skin blisters. Place in a large bowl and cover bowl with a lid, allowing the chiles to ‘sweat’ for about 5 minutes. Remove chiles from the bowl and wipe away the skin using a paper towel.

2. Cut off stem, slit the side of the chile and scrape away the seeds. Cut chiles into 3/8” dice. Set aside until ready to use.

3. In a stock pot, bring water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 5-6 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.

4. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Season with oregano and cumin. Saute, then add chorizo and toss throughout. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Tamal Masa Preparation

1. Place shortening in a mixer bowl and blend at medium high speed for 2 minutes with a paddle attachment. Scrape down sides. Continue beating until smooth.

2. Add chile powder to shortening and mix until blended. Slowly mix in the masa, a small handful at a time. Add salt and ¼ cup of vegetable broth. Blend until fluffy, about 5 minutes. When blended, heat remaining broth until warm. Mix baking powder into broth. Mixture will foam up. Stir and slowly mix thoroughly into masa, increase speed and blend thoroughly.

Assembly

1. Remove any corn silk from the dried corn husks. Place about 2 dozen husks in a large bowl of hot water. Submerge to hydrate in water, about 5 minutes. When husks are soft and pliable, remove from bowl and squeeze out excess water. Repeat with 2 dozen more husks.

2. Tear a few of the husks (about 8) into thin ¼” wide strips. Set aside. The strips will be used to tie the ends of the tamales.

3. Spread about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of prepared masa in the center of the husk. Spread the masa into a rectangular shape leaving a border around the perimeter. Masa should be about ¼” thick.

4. Spoon 2 Tablespoons of Chorizo filling onto center of masa. Fold in the sides of the husk to enclose the filling.

5. Using the corn husk strips, wrap around the top and bottom of the tamal to seal. Be sure to tie the strips over the end of the masa to form a tight seal. If you leave a gap between the masa and the tie, the tie will come off when steaming.

6. To steam, place broth in bottom of a large stock pot. Place a steamer basket over broth. If broth doesn’t reach the bottom of the basket, add water. Line the bottom of the basket with a single layer of corn husks. Carefully stack tamales over husks to the top of the pot. Tamales should be nestled closely together, seam side up. Place a layer of husks over the top of the tamales. Top with a tight-fitting lid.

7. Bring broth to a boil. Turn down heat to a simmer and steam the tamales for 35-40 minutes. Tamales will be tender out of the steamer and firm up after cooling. Tamales are best served fresh out of the steamer and can also be steamed to re-heat.

Note: Tamales can be assembled ahead and frozen. Thaw out before steaming.

35-40 steam time