Charicorundas con Chile Perón

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tamalera or deep stockpot with rack
• •Comal de barro or heavy cast iron comal
• •Volcanic stone molcajete
• •Large mixing bowl or stand mixer for beating manteca
• •Green-glazed Capula or Patamban clay plate for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the leaves

   Choose hojas de maíz frescas de la planta, the green leaves pulled from the cane, not dried corn husks from a bag. Wipe them clean with a damp towel and trim away any hard rib that will fight the fold. Pass each leaf over a hot comal for a few seconds, just until flexible, or dip briefly in hot water and dry well. Tear a few narrow strips for tying. The fresh leaf bends around the masa and gives the charicorunda its green field smell.

2. 2

   Roast the chiles

   Heat a comal de barro or heavy skillet over medium. Roast the 6 chile perón for the masa, turning often, until the skin blisters and dark spots appear. Cover them in a bowl for 10 minutes, then peel away most of the loosened skin. Remove stems. Keep a few black seeds if you want the Meseta heat to speak clearly, remove most if you are feeding people who are learning. Chop 4 chiles finely for the masa and slice 2 into thin strips for the center of the packets.

   Chile perón has black seeds. If the vendor gives you a green jalapeño and calls it perón, walk away. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
3. 3

   Beat the manteca

   In a large bowl, beat the manteca de cerdo with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt until pale and lighter in texture, about 5 minutes by hand or 3 minutes in a stand mixer. Add the masa nixtamalizada in handfuls, kneading after each addition. Add the baking powder if your masa feels heavy. Drizzle in warm water a little at a time until the masa is soft, spreadable, and holds together without cracking. Drop a pea-sized piece into cold water. If it floats, the lard has enough air. If it sinks, keep beating. La manteca es el sabor.

4. 4

   Fold in chile

   Work the chopped chile perón into the masa with your hands. Do not overmix until the masa turns wet and loose. You want pale gold masa with orange-green flecks of chile running through it. Taste a pinch for salt. It should taste seasoned before it ever touches the leaf. Masa without salt is punishment, not tradition.

5. 5

   Wrap small triangles

   Lay one fresh corn leaf on the table with the narrow end facing away from you. Place 2 generous tablespoons of chile masa near the center and flatten it into a small oval. Lay one thin strip of roasted chile perón in the middle. Fold one side of the leaf over the masa, then the other side, then bring the bottom up to make a tight triangular packet. Tie with a strip of leaf if it wants to open. Keep them small. A charicorunda is not a heavy market tamal. It is a botana with structure.

6. 6

   Cook the packets

   Line a tamalera or deep pot with extra fresh corn leaves. Add water below the rack, then arrange the charicorundas upright or gently stacked so water cannot touch the masa. Cover with more leaves and a tight lid. Cook over leña if you have it, or over a steady stove flame, for 45 to 55 minutes. Check the water once and add more hot water if needed. They are done when the leaf pulls away cleanly and the masa feels set but still tender. Rest 10 minutes before opening. Así se hace y punto.

7. 7

   Grind the salsa

   While the charicorundas cook, roast the 4 chile perón for salsa, tomatillos, onion, and unpeeled garlic on the comal. The tomatillos should soften and spot, the onion should char at the edges, and the garlic should feel soft inside its skin. Peel the garlic. Grind the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and garlic in a molcajete first, then add the chile perón, onion, and tomatillos. Leave the salsa rough enough to show the chile flesh. A blender works if you pulse carefully, but a molcajete gives chile perón the texture it deserves.

8. 8

   Fry the charales

   Pat the charales very dry. Heat 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a small skillet over medium-high. Add the charales and fry for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring, until they darken slightly and turn crisp at the edges. If they were dried and salty, do not add salt. Drain on paper or a woven basket lined with a clean cloth. These little fish belong to the lake country. Do not replace them with random canned fish and call it the same thing.

9. 9

   Serve in clay

   Open a few charicorundas at the table and leave others tied so people can see the fold. Spoon salsa de chile perón over the warm masa, drizzle with crema de rancho, scatter queso Cotija, and set the fried charales and lime halves alongside. Use green-glazed Michoacán clay, Capula if you have it, Patamban if that is what your market carries. The ceramic is not decoration. It is how the food arrives with its place still attached.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh masa nixtamalizada matters. Buy from a tortillería or molino that actually nixtamalizes corn. Masa harina is an emergency route, not an upgrade. If you must use it, hydrate it with warm water, rest it 30 minutes, then beat in the manteca.
• •Chile perón and chile manzano are names for the same thick-fleshed Capsicum pubescens chile in many markets. The black seeds are the proof. Rocoto is the closest cousin outside Mexico, but it is still a compromise.
• •The wrapper is hoja de maíz fresca de la planta. Dried corn husks can wrap a tamal, yes. They will not give you the same green aroma or the tight triangular architecture of a Michoacán corunda family packet.
• •Charal is small lake fish, not a garnish invented for color. If you can find dried charal from Pátzcuaro, fry it crisp and use lime. If you cannot find it, serve the charicorundas without fish. A substitution is a compromise, not a clever improvement.
• •Cook over leña when the kitchen allows it. If not, at least roast the chiles and tomatillos on a comal de barro. The clay holds heat differently and gives the salsa a quieter, deeper char.

Advance Preparation

• •The hojas de maíz frescas can be cleaned, softened, dried, and wrapped in a towel up to one day ahead. Refrigerate them so they stay flexible.
• •The salsa de chile perón can be made one day ahead. Bring it back to room temperature before serving so the chile flavor opens.
• •The charicorundas can be wrapped up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Cook them the same day. Fried charales should be made close to serving so they stay crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)