Hi, Beth. I would make it with seitan, or even cubed eggplant. Let me know if that works. Have a great day.

Will look through your recipes and essays this weekend for more inspiration and cooking ideas.

Thanks so much for all the work and effort you put into it.

thanks for your comment. Glad you are trying tamales. I don’t recognize your vegan tamales as tamales belonging to any culture in the Americas. Were you trying to imitate one of the many versions of tamales that are delicious culturally authentic?
It’s better to begin with the basics. In tamales, the corn masa requires delicate and special attention. It is not a wrap.
I recommend one of the flavor profiles and sticking with it. May I suggest you look up some wonderful tamales, either Mexican, Texas Mexican, New Mexican, Oaxaca or Guatemala or other and start there, exploring the flavor. All of those regions have countless vegan tamales that are part of the culture and the people there, developed, ingredients harmonized, over centuries. That’s the best way to be changed by a food: to enter into another’s world and taste, smell, their food as they intended. Make the tamales in an authentic way and thus enter a new world that changes your flavor ability and your knowledge of other people’s way of looking at the world.
I’m glad that we both share vegan interests!

Tamales had Guajillo & Negro Chile water and the focaccia had tomato puree.

I am steaming some vegan tamales. There was an article last May in the NY Times “Cuisines Mastered as Acquired Tastes”, that deals with people cooking dishes that they have no background in, and how they are changed. I really never tasted tamales. I do a vegan version, using olive oil in which I sauteed onions, jalapenos, tomatillos, then put in some leftover focaccia sauce which had onions, jalapenos, a dried habanero, oregano, garlic powder, smoked paprika, then the dried masa, salt, and wrapped & tied in corn husks. Steam for an hour.

I enjoyed reading your essay, it’s wonderful find someone like you with both culinary and literary talent. I will be back to read the rest of them. Thanks so much for writing & cooking!