Tamale wonton poppers

Jalapeño poppers meets tamales. East meets West. North of the border meets South of the border. Old meets new. Entree meets hors ďoeuvres. Flogged rhetorical construction meets pistol. BANG! They are odd little things and they are delicious and they are addictive. I ate the whole pile and when you see the pile you are going to be shocked. 

The other odd thing is that part of the filling, the masa de maíz, could very well have been the wrapper. Wontons can also be sliced and used as noodles but that is irrelevant to what is going on here and I'd appreciate it if you would avoid getting off topic.

The green chili from before is too lumpy for wontons so it must be processed further -- with a fork. It is also not hot enough so additional jalapeños are added. Jalapeños come in different hotnesses, this is the hottest. I used the entire tin, it's also the smallest tin. After all that, the finished tamale poppers still are not hot at all. Everything else tends to deaden the effect of capsaicin, the masa, the cheese, the wrapper, the cooking oil. Maybe that's why poppers are so successful, they are more simple and more directly and powerfully jalapeño whereas here with the tamale poppers the jalapeño is muted. 

Regular masa harina for tamales, the powder that comes in bags and mixes with water. It is a wonder to behold. Incredibly easy to mix, amazing aroma and flavor, versatile and inexpensive. Plus, the removal of the pericarp by an alkaline soak and cook makes available the nutrients within corn and the process eliminates some pathogens on corn, mycotoxins and the like. I read it in a jaw-droppingly boring paper. They might pull it down out of embarrassment, it is a government research paper. 

Oaxacan cheese 

Green chili, masa de maíz, Oaxacan cheese are set to the side mise en place. 

Half the package of wontons arrayed to accept the layers of filling.

Please pardon the shift in viewing angle. If you sense a rush of vertigo coming on I suggest closing your eyes and grabbing the seat of your chair. 

It turned out to be too much filling. About 1/8 was removed from each one. 

Edit: I'm changing my suggestion. Do not shut your eyes if you feel a spate of vertigo coming on. Instead, keep them open and stare at something steady. The steadier, the better, like a mountain is a lot better than staring at a hamster in an exercise wheel, and grab the arms or the cushion of your seat.