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Michoacán's P'urhépecha triangular tamal, folded in hoja de maíz fresca de la planta with queso ranchero, manteca de cerdo, crema, and chile perón salsa.
Michoacán, especially Uruapan, Pátzcuaro, and the Meseta P'urhépecha, is where this dish lives. Corundas are not generic tamales with a different shape. They belong to the Tarasca kitchen, to the women who learned the triangular fold by watching hands older than any cookbook.
The wrapper matters. Use hoja de maíz fresca de la planta, the long green leaf cut from the corn cane, not dried corn husk. A dry husk gives you another tamal. The fresh leaf gives the corunda its tight triangular body and a green corn aroma that tells a Michoacán cook you did not fake it.
The masa is masa nixtamalizada beaten with manteca de cerdo until it feels light under the palm. No shortening. No me vengas con atajos. La manteca es el sabor. The queso goes inside in small pieces, not so much that the masa bursts, just enough that the center softens when the corunda cooks.
Serve them with crema de rancho and salsa de chile perón, the yellow Michoacán chile some markets call chile manzano, the one with black seeds. At Pátzcuaro I have eaten them beside baskets of charal, those small lake fish, Chirostoma jordani and its relatives, and every bite reminded me: cada estado, su propia cocina.
Corundas come from the P'urhépecha tamal family of Michoacán, a tradition that predates Mexica expansion and survived because the P'urhépecha state was never conquered by the Aztec empire. The UNESCO recognition of Traditional Mexican Cuisine in 2010 cited the Michoacán paradigm and the work of cocineras tradicionales as a living transmission system, not as museum material. Corunda, uchepo, jahuácata, chápata, tsïkanarhikata, nacatamal, toquera, and charicorunda are separate preparations with their own masa, wrapper, shape, and occasion.
Quantity
2 pounds
Quantity
1 cup
room temperature
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
3/4 to 1 cup
as needed
Quantity
8 ounces
cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Quantity
30 to 36
rinsed and patted dry
Quantity
as needed
for tying
Quantity
1 cup
for serving
Quantity
1/2 cup
crumbled, for serving
Quantity
4
also called chile manzano in some markets, black seeds kept if you want heat
Quantity
6
husked and rinsed
Quantity
1 small
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
1
cut into halves, for serving
Quantity
1 cup
Chirostoma jordani and related species, optional for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh masa nixtamalizada for tamales | 2 pounds |
| manteca de cerdoroom temperature | 1 cup |
| fine sea salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| baking powder | 1/2 teaspoon |
| warm water or warm corn nixtamal brothas needed | 3/4 to 1 cup |
| queso ranchero or queso frescocut into 1/2-inch cubes | 8 ounces |
| hojas de maíz frescas de la plantarinsed and patted dry | 30 to 36 |
| kitchen twine or thin strips from fresh corn-plant leaves (optional)for tying | as needed |
| crema de rancho or Mexican cremafor serving | 1 cup |
| queso Cotija or queso frescocrumbled, for serving | 1/2 cup |
| fresh chile perónalso called chile manzano in some markets, black seeds kept if you want heat | 4 |
| tomatilloshusked and rinsed | 6 |
| garlic clove | 1 small |
| white onionchopped | 2 tablespoons |
| fine sea salt for salsa | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| cilantrochopped | 2 tablespoons |
| limecut into halves, for serving | 1 |
| fried charales from Lake Pátzcuaro (optional)Chirostoma jordani and related species, optional for serving | 1 cup |
Rinse the hojas de maíz frescas de la planta and pat them dry. Sort the wide, flexible leaves for wrapping and tear a few narrow leaves into strips for tying. These are not dried corn husks. They are the green leaves from the corn plant, and they hold the triangular architecture of the corunda.
Put the manteca de cerdo in a large bowl or stand mixer and beat until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes by hand or 3 minutes by machine. It should look lighter and feel soft, not greasy and heavy. This is what gives the corunda lift. La manteca es el sabor.
Add the masa nixtamalizada, salt, and baking powder to the beaten lard. Mix with your hand, pressing and folding, while adding warm water or warm nixtamal broth a little at a time. The masa should be soft enough to spread but firm enough to hold its shape on a leaf. When you smear a little on your palm, it should not crack at the edges.
Pinch off a small ball of masa and drop it into a cup of cold water. If it floats, it is ready. If it sinks, keep beating for several more minutes and test again. This old market test is not decoration. It tells you whether enough air has been worked into the fat and masa.
Lay one fresh corn-plant leaf flat, shiny side down. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of masa near the wide end and press one cube of queso ranchero into the center. Cover the cheese with a little more masa. Do not overfill. A corunda is folded, not stuffed until it explodes.
Fold one side of the leaf over the masa on a diagonal, then fold again and again, keeping the masa trapped in a tight triangular packet. Tuck the narrow end under or tie with a strip of leaf if it feels loose. The shape should be three-cornered and firm in your hand. That fold is the signature. Así se hace y punto.
Line the bottom of a tamalera with extra fresh leaves. Add water below the steamer rack and arrange the corundas upright and snug, folded ends down where possible. Cover the top with more leaves and then the lid. If you have a pot over leña, use it. If not, a heavy tamalera on the stove will do the work.
Bring the water to a strong simmer, then cook covered for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Keep the water level steady. The corundas are done when the masa pulls cleanly from the leaf and the packet feels light for its size. Let them rest in the covered pot for 10 minutes before opening. Masa needs that pause to settle.
While the corundas steam, roast the chile perón and tomatillos on a comal de barro or cast iron comal until blistered in spots and softened. Blend with the garlic, onion, salt, and cilantro. Taste it. Chile perón has a fruity heat and black seeds, and it belongs in Michoacán kitchens. If the salsa tastes flat, it needs salt, not a lecture.
Open the corundas at the table and spoon crema de rancho over the warm masa. Add the chile perón salsa and a little crumbled queso Cotija or queso fresco. Serve lime halves and fried charales on the side if you are setting a Pátzcuaro table. The crema softens the masa, the salsa wakes it up, and the cheese inside reminds you why this is comfort food.
1 serving (about 110g)
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