Steam the tamales for one hour, checking the water level every 15 minutes or so. Add more water as necessary so the pot doesn't boil dry. Remove the tamales from the pot with a pair of tongs. Cool them on a rack for 15 minutes or until they cool enough to handle and unwrap comfortably.
Food and cosmetic use. Arrowroot powder is a natural powdered root starch that is white in color and very lightweight. It is derived from the tropical South American plant Maranta arundinacea. The plant was given the name âArrowrootâ because it was once used to treat those injured with wounds from poisoned arrows.
The roots are washed, scraped, beaten, soaked, pulped, and finally forced through a sieve. The liquid and fine powders, which make it through the sieve, are dried, leaving the useful arrowroot powder behind. In India, arrowroot is commonly called kooya. It has a white to purplish color, and grows in sizes ranging from 2 feet to 5 feet. The underground stem of the plant is the edible portion, which yields flour. As such arrowroot has no flavour. It is a fine white powder, with a feel very similar to that of cornstarch.