Eating and preparing tamales are about more than just a meal. They’re about tradition. For the three people featured in this story, making their tamales is a labor of love.
ZONGZI/JOONG — CHINESE TAMALES
Jacqueline Joy “Jackie Joy” Ho-Shing is known for her Chinese tamales aka zongzi/joong. Similar to traditional tamales in the Rio Grande Valley, Chinese tamales also take a whole day to prepare. “Like the Mexican culture, Chinese culture and family events are all centered on food. I was lucky enough to have been taught how to make Chinese tamales,” Ho-Shing says.
For Chinese tamales, bamboo or reed leaves are soaked overnight before being filled with sticky rice or sticky rice plus your choice of filling. Traditionally, they are stuffed with Chinese sausage and a century egg, but Ho-Shing, a vegan, prefers a soaked mung bean and squash filling. The tamales are wrapped then either steamed for one to two hours in an Instant Pot or for seven to eight hours on the stove. Ho-Shing has always lived on the border. Her father is from Hong Kong, China, and her mother is from Juarez, Mexico.
“For most of my childhood, I spent my free time with my paternal Chinese aunts and grandparents. As an adult, I have been lucky to re-immerse myself in my Chinese culture and heritage and have found friends who are willing to cook and eat all the delicious food,” she says.
Ho-Shing doesn’t sell her tamales but recommends, next time you are in a city that has dim sum, that you order the zongzi/joong. Chinese tamales are usually eaten in the summer. around the traditional Chinese holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival.
TAMALES HONDUREÑOS
Wendy Argueta was just 13 years old when she left her small town of Siguatepeque, Honduras, and moved to Los Fresnos, Texas, with her family. During the holidays, making tamales Hondureños is an all-day affair for them.
“Growing up in a Honduran household, you start learning to make the tamales at a very early age,” she says. “These tamales are a delicious mixture of masa and a thick sauce that is not spicy but very flavorful. The combination of spices mixed with the pork makes them taste so delicious.”
Tamales Hondureños have a slightly different appearance than the traditional Mexican tamale that we are familiar with. These tamales are a little fatter, as they are filled with carrots, potatoes, peas, rice, olives, raisins and pork. They are more square in shape and wrapped perfectly in a bright green banana leaf that is secured tightly with a delicate piece of twine. The tamales are then perfectly nestled next to each other in a pot and steamed for hours on the stovetop for up to seven hours.
Argueta says that making these tamales can be complicated. Many of the ingredients are hard to find, and the banana leaves must be warmed to perfection to keep the contents contained. But it’s her love of family and roots that inspire her to prepare them every holiday. They’re a “luxury to enjoy with family and friends and a hot cup of coffee,” she adds.
VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN TAMALES AND MORE
At Sonia’s Tamales & More in McAllen, Texas the “more” is the various vegan and vegetarian tamales they offer in addition to the traditional one.
“Many of our customers were wanting to eat healthy and were asking for these tamales. We make them with 100% olive oil, and we will fill them with what the customer wants,” says owner Sonia Rodriguez.
For vegetarians, variations include spinach and cheese, cheese and jalapeño, and bean and cheese. Vegans can order tamales with spinach, sautéed mushrooms, colored bell peppers, or squash sautéed with onion, bell pepper and corn. One of the most requested tamales is the Poblano with rajas and corn.
The secret to Sonia’s Tamales’ success, she says, is keeping it simple. “We are a small team, and we make our tamales with love. Our product is fresh. Making tamales is a lot of work, and it feels wonderful when we sell out.”
And they do sell out. Rodriguez plans to offer sweet tamales and uncooked frozen tamales to go. She wants to provide a video on how to prepare the tamales at home. Rodriguez says there is nothing quite like the aroma of tamales cooking on the stove.
Sonia’s Tamales & More is at 1300 Trenton Road, Suite 325, in McAllen.
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