HOME   • TECHNIQUE   • TIPS & METHODS - COOKING   • Ethnic Specialties Laurie Smith PHOTO GALLERY   Art of the Tamale    LAUNCH RELATED TOPICS    RECIPES    ARTICLES   Yellow Mole Sauce The Seven Wonders of Oaxaca   EMAIL       FAVORITES      PRINT  The Art of the Tamale   1. PRESSING: Oaxacan cook Zoyla Mendoza teaches protégée Lorena how to make tamales amarillos by first pressing a thin masa tortilla. 2. DRYING AND FILLING: In expert hands, the delicate tortilla is dried and filled with poached chicken and Yellow Mole Sauce. 3. FOLDING: The filled tamale is carefully folded and placed fold-side down on a softened cornstalk leaf. Corn leaves add a subtle flavor. 4. STEAMING: Zoyla wraps tamales into beautiful packages and steams for 5 minutes.   This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #1