Fusion Recipe Lab / Recipe

Chili Crisp Carnitas Tamales

Slow-cooked carnitas folded with chili crisp and wrapped in fluffy masa.

Vehicle

tamales

Inspiration

Mexican / Chinese

Flavor Profile

spicy, savory, umami

Meal Type

dinner

Protein

pork

Spice Level

hot

Texture

soft

Difficulty

project

Prep Time

50 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time

2 hours 35 minutes

Servings

Flexible

Prep Style

batch-cooking

Tags

pork, spicy, batch-cook, comfort

Shopping list All recipes Homepage

Notebook Entry

Description

Tamales become a delivery system for crisp carnitas and aromatic chili crisp heat.

Ingredients

  • Tamal masa and soaked husks (base recipe)
  • 2 cups shredded carnitas
  • 1 tbsp chili crisp
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup diced onion

Preparation

  1. Prepare masa and husks.
  2. Mix carnitas with chili crisp, soy sauce, cilantro, and onion.
  3. Fill husks with masa and carnitas mixture.
  4. Steam 80 to 90 minutes.

Assembly

  1. Rest tamales 10 minutes.
  2. Serve with warm salsa roja.

Serving Suggestions

  • Add lime and pickled onion.
  • Great with black bean soup.

Notes or Variations

  • Use chicken tinga instead of carnitas.
  • Adjust chili crisp for heat tolerance.

Related Recipes

Suggested by shared vehicle, protein, flavor profile, and ingredient overlap.

tamales

Five Spice Chicken Tamales

Corn masa tamales filled with five-spice braised chicken and scallion.

Flavor: savory, aromatic, umami

Open notebook entry

bao

Mala Carnitas Bao

Crisp carnitas glazed with Sichuan peppercorn chile oil and tucked into steamed bao.

Flavor: spicy, mala, savory

Open notebook entry

arepa

Sichuan Pork Arepa

Pan-seared arepas filled with doubanjiang pork, crunchy cabbage, and sesame-lime crema.

Flavor: spicy, savory, umami

Open notebook entry

bao

Chorizo Egg Breakfast Bao

Scrambled eggs, crisp chorizo, and avocado crema in quick-steamed bao for breakfast prep.

Flavor: savory, spicy, umami

Open notebook entry