Dirty South Hot Tamales With Jackfruit and Cilantro Sauce

Name: Dirty South Hot Tamales With Jackfruit and Cilantro Sauce
Yield: Makes about 15
Ingredients: 2 20-oz. cans green jackfruit; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; ½ medium green bell pepper, cut into ¼" pieces; ½ medium onion, cut into ¼" pieces; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 3 Tbsp. tomato paste; 1 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos; 1 tsp. Creole Seasoning; ¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more; 1 cup vegetable broth; 15–20 dried corn husks; 2 cups yellow grits, soaked overnight; 5 cups vegetable broth; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp.Morton kosher salt; ½ tsp. chili powder; ½ tsp. smoked paprika; ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper; 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil; ½ tsp. baking powder; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ tsp. ground coriander; ½ jalapeño, cut into large pieces; 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 1 cup (tightly packed) cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for serving; Kosher salt; Quick-Pickled Cauliflower (for serving)

By Bryant Terry

August 10, 2021

Dirty South Hot Tamales With Jackfruit and Cilantro Sauce Recipe

Photo by Oriana Koren, food styling by Lillian Kang, prop styling by Jillian Knox

Chef-author-activist Bryant Terry created these plant-based tamales in honor of the tamales he grew up eating, sold by an independent Black food vendor known as the “Tamale Man” who parked outside a Memphis skating rink. In a nod to the Southern African American tradition of tamale-making, he uses grits, a hot tamale staple, in the dough instead of masa or cornmeal. He fills the tamales with jackfruit, a tropical fruit that mimics the texture of meat. Soaking the grits overnight cuts their cooking time by half.