AI-generated photo.
Mexican · Iconic, Central · Mexico
Pork tamales
Also called tamales
Pork tamales (tamales), a Central plate from Mexico.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Pork tamales is cooked in Central as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Stir polenta with broth into a thick dough, wrap it around chile pork, and steam the parcels until the dough sets. Masa is the usual dough. Polenta is the corn this pantry can count. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
76
Health score
Light & nourishing
Healthy
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 28%
- Carbs 45%
- Fat 27%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Suits · High protein
About 25.1 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 494 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Polenta181 kcal
- Pork tenderloin98 kcal
- Unsalted butter54 kcal
- Low-sodium chicken broth16 kcal
- Chili flakes3 kcal
- Ground cumin2 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 21.8. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 354 kcal.
Allergens. Milk
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 266 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 354 kcal | 18% |
| Protein | 25.1 g | 50% |
| Carbohydrate | 40.7 g | 15% |
| Fiber | 3.9 g | 14% |
| Total sugars | 0.5 g | 1% |
| Fat | 10.7 g | 14% |
| Saturated fat | 4.9 g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg | 25% |
| Sodium | 494 mg | 21% |
| Potassium | 600 mg | 13% |
| Calcium | 77 mg | 6% |
| Iron | 3.3 mg | 18% |
| Magnesium | 91 mg | 22% |
| Zinc | 2.7 mg | 25% |
| Vitamin A | 67 mcg | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 0.4 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 0.6 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin K | 1 mcg | 1% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 1.1 mg | 92% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.4 mg | 34% |
| Niacin (B3) | 9.2 mg | 57% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.9 mg | 51% |
| Folate | 13 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.6 mcg | 24% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- The balance of protein, fiber, and richer ingredients is what earns the Healthy mark.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Pot with a lid
- Steamer basket
- Scale
- Timer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Polenta1.3 cups200 g
Low-sodium chicken broth1.7 cups400 ml
Pork tenderloin3 pieces360 g
Chili flakes1 tsp4 g
Ground cumin0.5 tsp2 g
Unsalted butter2 tbsp30 g
Baking powder1 tsp4 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Pork tamales. Heat to steam over water at 212°F / 100°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh polenta, low-sodium chicken broth, pork tenderloin, chili flakes, ground cumin, unsalted butter, baking powder, kosher salt. Pork tamales is cooked in Central as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Stir polenta with broth into a thick dough, wrap it around chile pork, and steam the parcels until the dough sets. Masa is the usual dough. Polenta is the corn this pantry can count. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Pork tamales is cooked in mexico. Also called tamales. The vegetable should keep a little bite. Gray and soft means it waited too long.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Pork tamales, until the edges take a little color. Steam with the lid on. Every peek drops the heat.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Pork tamales at steam over water at 212°F / 100°C. Start checking at 9 minutes. Pork tamales is done when the thickest piece is opaque and just tender, not dry and not pink at the bone.
Steam 9 min
- 🇲🇽 MexicoCentral Americaicon-mexico-pork-tamales-step-4
Pork tamales, step 5
Step 5 · Pork tamales
5Check the center of Pork tamales, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇲🇽 MexicoCentral Americaicon-mexico-pork-tamales-step-5
Pork tamales, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Pork tamales for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in mexico, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Pork tamales in this shot order and no other: scale and bowls in a flat lay; a knife sliding into the potato or vegetable; parchment pressed into the pan; a colander and a cloud of steam. Slate words for the editor: kiln, yarrow, mortar, caramel, tender, kilnfire, amber, nectar, basket, peel.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Pork tamales is done when the thickest piece is opaque and just tender, not dry and not pink at the bone.
If it goes wrong
- Pork tamales looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Pork tamales turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Pork tamales, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Pork tamales is one of the plates people ask for by name from Central.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Stir polenta with broth into a thick dough, wrap it around chile pork, and steam the parcels until the dough sets. Masa is the usual dough. Polenta is the corn this pantry can count.
Allergens in the required list: Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.