Tamales are one of Mexico’s most humble dishes. Consisting of corn masa and fillings, they’re made all over Chicago.
Making tamales is a methodical process, and when you produce on average, more than 200 each day, like they do at Santa Masa Tamaleria on the Far Northwest Side of the city, consistency is key.
Daniel Espinoza and his wife, Joanna, missed making them after their pandemic pop-up, so when a storefront opened in the Belmont Heights/Dunning area, they jumped at the chance to start filling corn husks again.
“Aside from missing it, it’s the legacy that continues to carry on through the teachings of our grandparents, and the foods that, honestly, we just love eating,” said Espinoza.
“Nixtamalized corn that we bring in from Sinaloa [Mexico], it’s non-GMO. Vegetable shortening; we whip it up until it’s like three times its volume. We scoop it onto the dried corn husk that we rehydrate in hot water overnight, and then your filling of choice.”
You can get smothered poblano peppers, onions and cheese, a sweet version with strawberries and salted caramel, or chicken, available with either a green tomatillo salsa, or a brick red guajillo. Unlike every tamaleria in town, pork is not an option.
It’s a conscious decision.
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“When we started Santa Masa, my mom nearly killed me because we weren’t doing pork,” he said.
There are also huaraches the size of a football, topped with beans, caramelized onions, chipotle crema, cheese, lettuce and tomato, as well as tacos, which use the same corn masa dough for the tortillas. Do try the Santo Taco, which has one side coated in crispy cheese, then topped with pork shoulder adobada and beef barbacoa.
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“And it just like melts in your mouth. We top it off with chorizo verde,” he said.
The Torta de Chilaquil has to be one of the largest breakfast sandwiches in town. Beans and softened, cooked tortilla chips, or chilaquiles (your choice of red or green) are stacked with shredded lettuce, pickled red onion and crema, topped with eggs.
“That thing starts off your morning in Mexico. That’s that carb-heavy driven item that’s gonna keep you going until about dinnertime, and it’s pretty damn good,” said Espinoza.
