How TikTok's Jenny Martinez Throws a Holiday Tamale Night With Her Family

TikTok sensation and cookbook author, Jenny Martinez, is known for her tamales. Growing up, her big extended family would gather on December 23rd to prepare hundreds of tamales to enjoy on Christmas Eve, their family’s big day of celebration. Now she shares her tamale wisdom on TikTok with inventive original recipes and practical tips for making tamales at home. We caught up with Martinez to learn more about her approach to tamale-making and to get her tips for hosting a tamale party.

Tell me about your family tradition of making tamales around the holidays. 

There were six of us kids, and five of us are girls. I remember my mom would always use a big pot to prepare the masa for the tamales, and she would have us in a line-up where each person had a job. One person would spread the masa and one would stuff it and one would fold and pass it down to organize them. My mom liked to prepare them the day before Christmas Eve because Christmas Eve is the big day for our celebration. As we got older, we started doing it with our kids. It never seemed like work because we always tried to make it fun for the kids, and it's a tradition that we've carried on for as long as I can remember.

It sounds like making tamales was its own kind of party. Did you serve any special foods on tamale-making day?

It was like a potluck where everyone would bring something, because obviously we were all going to get together, and obviously you have to eat. The guys would bring the cazo [a cooking vessel used for making a variety of Mexican foods] to make carnitas. They would make some for the tamales, but they would also have it for tacos that day.

How has your family's party evolved as everyone has ‘grown up?' How do you organize and celebrate your annual tamale night now?

Everyone knows that, for a week before Christmas, we will gather around in the evenings to help make hundreds of tamales. Now that everyone is grown up, they bring their spouses, kids, friends, and even neighbors! We usually do shifts, but every single person has a job in the lineup from wrapping the tamales to spreading the masa!

Do you have any tips for readers who want to host their own tamale-making party?

Prepare the masa in advance because it takes a little bit of time: Some people like to use the dry Maseca corn flour. They prep it by adding water, lard, and salt. But if you don't have the skills, it can be so tiring. Since we make like 100 pounds of masa, we use store-bought from our favorite Mexican grocery store that makes it fresh every day, then we give it a little extra love with some extra pork lard. Have that ready before you start. Prepare your corn husks by soaking them in warm water for at least 30 minutes to an hour, and keep everything hydrated all the time because tamales do tend to dry out. If it’s your first time, make tamales with cheese and rajas [cooked peppers like bell peppers or poblanos]. Those are easier tamales because they’re not messy, and you can fold them a lot easier. And if you are looking for specific measurements, you can always check out my cookbook, My Mexican Mesa, Y Listo!: Beautiful Flavors, Family Style.  [You can also check out Martinez’s TikToks on making tamales here.]

I’ve seen in your videos that you add ice cubes to the masa. Why do you do that?

My mom likes to add some ice cubes into the masa. Her grandma taught her to add a couple of ice cubes depending on the amount of masa to air it out so the masa doesn't become too dense and is airy and fluffy.

Are there any tools that are essential for making tamales?

I prefer to use a flat rubber spatula, but my husband and sisters like to use a dough scraper. You don't need to spread the masa all the way from edge to edge in the corn husk, because as you're folding it, that's kind of like wasting dough. So if you kind of keep it in the middle and then you meet it in the middle as you're folding, you save masa, and you don't end up throwing away all that extra.You also need a steamer pot, which is part of my line at JCPenney.  

Finally, should readers consider combining making the tamales and eating them in one party? And what tips do you have for plating and serving them? Do you need sides for tamales? Condiments? And what drinks are best, do you think?

Yes, if you make them early enough for your party and you aren't making a large batch, you can definitely eat them on the same day. Once they're cooked, let them cool down so they can settle and then simply unwrap, add your toppings, and enjoy! When we have leftover tamales the next day I like to shallow fry the tamales, and they are so good! For toppings, I make my mom's Salsa de Tomate, we add shredded lettuce, sour cream, and that's it! You can pair tamales with a Coke or agua fresca!