Interesting tidbits of Mexican culture and history are just a part of this fun, hands-on workshop with Chef Erika Araujo, who will walk you through the traditions and recipes of two traditional dishes at the heart of Mexico’s cuisine: tamales and champurrado.

Tamales are an essential and ancient, pre-Columbian Mexican dish – soft corn meal dough (masa) stuffed with a flavourful filling, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed. Portable and self-contained, tamales are a popular street food with countless variations found all across Mexico.

But making tamales that are light and tender is a special skill. Erika will be sharing her recipes and demonstrating her techniques for 4 kinds of tamales popular around Mexico City: chicken tamales with salsa verde or a rich chocolate-infused mole sauce, a vegetarian tamale of rajas (a julienne of green peppers) with cheese and red salsa, and a sweet dessert tamale with pineapple.

Erika will also introduce you to champurrado, a hot, creamy beverage made with toasted corn flour, raw piloncillo sugar, Mexican chocolate and spices that is a popular accompaniment for tamales, especially around the Christmas season.

There will be lots to taste, learn and do in this fun, hands-on workshop. In addition to using the familiar Maseca dry corn meal, there will also be an opportunity to cook with, taste and compare an artisanal fresh masa prepared by local molinero Iván Wadgymar of Maizal. Participants will get to try samples in class, make tamales and atole in class, enjoy a meal of the tamales they’ve made and take home extras and recipes.

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Chef Erika Araujo is a Mexican-born chef who immigrated to Canada 18 years ago, and now works as an educator, restaurant consultant, and executive chef in Calgary, AB. A passionate promoter of traditional Mexican cuisine and culture, Erika also serves as an ambassador for Agua Santa Mezcal and Chocosol Traders. Erika has traveled across Canada, showcasing her heritage through gastronomy, and has appeared on TV, in podcasts, and international publications. Originally trained as a nurse in Mexico, Erika found her culinary calling after completing the program at Humber College. She believes that when you honour your roots, amazing things can happen. @cheferikaaraujo

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Every week, The Depanneur invites TO’s best culinary talents to lead fun, hands-on workshops.
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