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Michoacan's Purepecha corundas are triangular masa parcels wrapped in fresh green corn leaves, steamed until tender, then bathed with guajillo salsa, crema, and queso Cotija.
Michoacan, especially the Purepecha region around Lake Patzcuaro, the Meseta Purepecha, and the old kitchens of Tzintzuntzan, owns the corunda. Not every tamal is long, filled, and wrapped in a dry husk. This one is triangular, tight, and wrapped in the green leaf of the corn plant. That leaf matters.
The masa is plain on purpose: fresh nixtamal masa, manteca de cerdo, salt, and enough broth to make it soft but not loose. The shape is the work. I learned to fold corundas from a señora near Quiroga who could make a perfect triangle while scolding three children and watching a pot of beans. She didn't measure the masa. She listened to it under her hands. That is teaching.
You serve corundas with crema, queso Cotija, and salsa roja made with chile guajillo and jitomate. Some families set them next to churipo, some eat them alone as a merienda, some make a basketful for fiestas. Cada estado, su propia cocina. A Michoacan cook will recognize the green leaf, the triangular fold, the tang of the cheese, and the clay plate on the table.
Corundas are associated with Purepecha cooking in Michoacan and are one of the oldest tamal forms still prepared in the region, built around nixtamalized corn and fresh corn-plant leaves rather than dried husks. Their triangular or pyramidal shape distinguishes them from central Mexican tamales and from the banana-leaf tamales of Oaxaca and the Gulf coast. In Michoacan, corundas are traditionally served with crema, cheese, salsa, or alongside churipo, the Purepecha beef and chile broth prepared for communal celebrations.
Quantity
30 to 36
rinsed and patted dry
Quantity
2 pounds
Quantity
10 ounces
room temperature
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
3/4 to 1 cup
Quantity
5
stemmed and seeded
Quantity
2
stemmed and seeded
Quantity
3
Quantity
2
unpeeled
Quantity
1/4 medium
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
to taste
Quantity
for serving
Quantity
for serving
crumbled
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh green corn leaves from the corn plantrinsed and patted dry | 30 to 36 |
| fresh nixtamal masa for tortillas | 2 pounds |
| manteca de cerdoroom temperature | 10 ounces |
| fine sea salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| baking powder | 1 teaspoon |
| warm pork broth or chicken broth | 3/4 to 1 cup |
| dried chile guajillostemmed and seeded | 5 |
| dried chile anchostemmed and seeded | 2 |
| ripe Roma tomatoes | 3 |
| garlic clovesunpeeled | 2 |
| white onion | 1/4 medium |
| manteca de cerdo, for frying the salsa | 1 tablespoon |
| dried Mexican oregano | 1/2 teaspoon |
| salt | to taste |
| Mexican crema (optional) | for serving |
| queso Cotija or queso anejo (optional)crumbled | for serving |
Rinse the fresh green corn leaves and pat them dry. If they feel stiff, pass them over a warm comal for a few seconds per side until they bend without cracking. Do not use dry corn husks for this dish. Dry husks make tamales. Fresh leaves make corundas. That green, grassy perfume belongs to Michoacan.
Put the manteca de cerdo in the bowl of a stand mixer or a deep mixing bowl. Beat it for 4 to 5 minutes until it lightens and looks creamy. This traps air in the fat, and that air helps the masa cook tender instead of heavy. La manteca es el sabor, and here it is also the structure.
Add the fresh nixtamal masa, salt, and baking powder to the beaten lard. Mix with your hand or the paddle attachment, adding warm broth a little at a time. The masa should be soft enough to spread with the back of a spoon but firm enough to hold its shape on the leaf. If it slumps like batter, you went too far. If it cracks at the edges, add another spoonful of broth.
Lay one fresh corn leaf on the counter with the pointed end facing away from you. Place 2 generous tablespoons of masa near the wide end. Fold one side over the masa on a diagonal, then fold the opposite side over to form a triangle. Keep folding the triangle up the length of the leaf, like folding a flag, until the masa is fully enclosed. Tuck the end under. The packet should feel snug, not strangled.
Line the bottom of a tamalera or large steamer basket with extra corn leaves. Add water below the basket line. Stand or layer the corundas loosely so the air can move between them. Cover the top with more leaves, then close the pot. The leaf above and below protects the masa and gives it that green corn aroma. This is not decoration. It is technique.
Steam over medium heat for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, checking the water level once or twice. The corundas are done when the masa pulls cleanly from the leaf and feels firm but tender. Let them rest in the covered pot for 10 minutes before opening. Masa needs that rest. Rush it and it tears.
While the corundas steam, heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile guajillo and chile ancho for 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant and slightly pliable. Do not blacken them. Burned chile turns the salsa bitter, and no amount of crema will hide it. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain.
On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion until the tomato skins blister, the onion has browned edges, and the garlic softens inside its skin. Peel the garlic. Blend the soaked chiles with the roasted tomatoes, peeled garlic, onion, oregano, and 1/2 cup water until smooth.
Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a small cazuela or skillet over medium heat. Pour in the blended salsa. It will sputter, so stand back and let it speak. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the color deepens and the salsa coats a spoon. Salt it properly. A weak salsa makes the whole plate taste unfinished.
Open the corundas at the table or unwrap them in the kitchen and place them on a green-glazed Michoacan barro plate. Spoon warm salsa roja over the masa, add a ribbon of Mexican crema, and finish with crumbled queso Cotija or queso anejo. Serve immediately, with extra salsa on the side. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.
1 serving (about 110g)
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