How to wrap corn-husk tamales and banana-leaf tamales colados for stovetop steaming

Corn husks and banana leaves both turn a portion of masa and filling into a sealed parcel that can stand up to an hour or more of steam. They are folded and loaded into the pot in different ways, though, and they suit different doughs. This guide walks through each wrapper separately: preparing it, portioning the masa and filling, folding, arranging the parcels in a stovetop steamer, and telling when they are done.

What each wrapper accomplishes, and what tamales colados are

Corn husks suit a soft, spreadable tamal dough. The husk is rolled around a small square of masa with a spoonful of filling, then the tapered end is folded under. The finished tamales stand upright in the steamer and come out as individual cylinders.

Banana leaves wrap flatter, broader parcels. Rick Bayless calls his Yucatecan banana-leaf preparation tamales colados. It uses a cooked masa batter spread in a rectangle and folded over chicken, tomato, epazote and achiote sauce, and the leaf supports that soft batter as it is folded. If you are looking for the name of tamales made in banana leaves, colados is one Yucatecan answer, but a banana-leaf wrapper alone does not identify the dish. Other regional tamales use banana leaves too, so follow the recipe you have chosen rather than the wrapper.

This guide covers wrapping and steaming only. It assumes you have already made the dough your recipe calls for: a prepared tamal batter for the corn-husk tamales, and a cooked masa batter for the colados. The two doughs are not interchangeable, so make the dough your recipe specifies.

Side-by-side: corn husk vs. banana-leaf colados

Step	Corn-husk tamales (Bayless)	Banana-leaf tamales colados (Bayless)
Wrapper prep	Weight husks under very hot water for a couple of hours until pliable; choose broad ones and pat dry	Trim hard leaf edges; cut ten intact 12-inch segments; steam them 20 minutes until pliable
Masa per tamal	1/4 cup prepared batter spread in a 4-inch square	1/2 cup cooked masa batter spread in a 4 x 8-inch rectangle
Filling per tamal	1 1/2 tbsp, centered	2 tbsp cooked chicken, a tomato slice, an epazote leaf and 2 tbsp achiote sauce, on one half of the masa
Fold	Bring long sides together, wrap, fold the empty tail under, tie loosely	Use the leaf to fold the bare masa over the filling, fold the leaf sides in, tie
In the steamer	Standing, folded end down, with room to expand	Lying folds down, no more than two layers high
Steaming	Constant medium heat, about 1 1/4 hours	Bring to a boil, then medium heat, about 1 hour; longer if made with reconstituted masa
Done cue	Husk peels away easily	Leaf peels away easily

Wrapping corn-husk tamales

The steps below follow Rick Bayless's basic tamal dough method.

• 1. Soften the husks. Put them in very hot water and weight them so they stay under. Leave them for a couple of hours, until they bend without cracking. If they still feel stiff or split when folded, give them more time.
• 2. Pick and dry. Choose the broadest husks for wrapping and pat them dry. Set the torn or narrow ones aside to line the steamer.
• 3. Spread the masa. Lay a husk with its tapered end toward you. Spread 1/4 cup of prepared batter into a 4-inch square. Leave about 1 1/2 inches bare at the tapered end and about 3/4 inch bare along the other edges.
• 4. Add the filling. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons into the center of the masa.
• 5. Close. Bring the two long sides of the husk together so the masa wraps around the filling, then roll the joined edges around the tamal. Fold the empty tapered tail under.
• 6. Tie loosely. A loose tie holds the fold closed and leaves the dough room to expand as it steams.

Portions and timing belong to the recipe, not the wrapper. Bob Hoyer's corn-husk chicken tamales, for example, use 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling and steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you follow a different recipe, use its quantities and steaming time instead of Bayless's.

Wrapping banana-leaf tamales colados

The steps below follow Bayless's Yucatecan pudding tamales with achiote and chicken. They are written per parcel.

• 1. Prepare the leaves. Trim off the hard edges. Cut ten intact segments about 12 inches long, without tears, and keep the scraps. Steam the segments for 20 minutes, until pliable.
• 2. Spread the batter. Spread 1/2 cup of the cooked masa batter into a 4 x 8-inch rectangle on a leaf segment.
• 3. Fill one half. On one half of the rectangle, place 2 tablespoons of cooked chicken, a tomato slice, an epazote leaf and 2 tablespoons of achiote sauce.
• 4. Fold the masa over. Lift the leaf to fold the uncovered half of the masa over the filling. The leaf does the work, so you don't have to handle the soft batter directly.
• 5. Close the parcel. Fold the leaf sides inward to enclose the filled masa, then tie.

Setting up and running the stovetop steamer

• Corn husks: Line the steamer rack with the leftover husks, leaving gaps so condensed water can drain. Stand the tamales on their folded ends with room to expand. Cover them with more husks, put the lid on and steam over constant medium heat for about 1 1/4 hours.
• Colados: Use a large steamer with a couple of inches of water below the tray. Line the tray with banana-leaf scraps. Lay the parcels folds down, no more than two layers high. Cover them with more scraps and the lid, bring the water to a boil, then steam over medium heat for about 1 hour.
• Both: Check the water level throughout and top up with boiling water, not cold, so the steaming doesn't stall.

How to tell when they are done

For both wrappers, the cue is release: pull out one tamal, open it, and see whether the masa peels cleanly away from the husk or leaf. If it sticks, wrap it back up, return it to the steamer, and check the water before you continue. Colados made with masa reconstituted from dried masa harina may need longer than the hour. When the corn-husk tamales release, take the pot off the heat and let them rest briefly before serving.

Food safety for chicken fillings and leftovers

• Wrapper release tells you about texture, not safety. USDA guidance is to cook poultry to 165°F, so make sure any chicken filling reaches that temperature.
• To cool leftovers, spread them in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F.
• Store at 40°F or below and use within 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat leftover tamales to 165°F.

Quick fixes

• Husks crack when folded: soak them longer under weight.
• Banana leaf tears: use only intact segments for wrapping and save torn pieces for lining and covering the steamer.
• Masa squeezes out the ends of corn-husk tamales: keep the bare borders, about 1 1/2 inches at the tapered end and 3/4 inch on the other edges, and tie loosely.
• Pot is nearly dry: add boiling water right away.
• Wrapper still clings at the expected time: keep steaming and test again.