Last weekend when i stopped into Los Mares market in Healdsburg to pick up a couple items, I noticed a handwritten sign posted in the taqueria section offering "Tamales en hoja de platano, $1.50". I decided to give them a try for an early dinner.
The tamales folded in banana leaves are on the smallish size, similar in heft and dimension to the corn husk ones sold here for the same price. The glossy masa had a satisfying silky mouthfeel and fragrance from the banana leaf. Shreds of white meat chicken were bathed in a thick sauce of ripe, concentrated tomatoes. This saucing reminded of the simple but concentrated tomato sauces from El Salvador and other Mayan lands such as the Yucatan. The tamales were seved with a dab of crema. Chips and salsa are complimentary here.
Dos tamales:
http://twitpic.com/12w303
Nice, I'd order these again.
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Los Mares Market
434 Center St, Healdsburg, CA