Ash Tamales Recipe

Learn how to prepare some delicious ash tamales or corundas, as they are also known. This delicious dish has its origin in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, although it is also prepared in other states such as Durango, Colima and Jalisco. Its main ingredient is nixtamalized corn and, as its name indicates, it is cooked with ash.

At this article we bring you a very practical recipe with ingredients that are very easy to get, so don’t worry if you can’t find traditional ingredients where you live, read on and discover that corundas can be prepared with very simple ingredients. Learn how to make ash tamales and don’t get lost at the end of the recipe on how to prepare your ash dough from scratch.

Ingredients to make Ash Tamales:

• 2 kilograms of nixtamalized corn flour

• 3 cups of warm water

• 1 tablespoon fine salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder (chemical yeast)

• 250 grams of vegetable shortening or lard

• 25 chard leaves

How to make Ash Tamales:

To start the ash tamales recipe, first prepare the dough. Thus, in a container, mix the nixtamalized corn flour and gradually add the water until you achieve a smooth and firm texture.

Tip: if you live in Mexico you can get the corn dough already prepared, you can use the one sold in tortilla shops.

When you have your dough, add the tablespoon of salt, the baking powder and the butter, which must be softened and at room temperature. Beat all the ingredients until they are completely integrated and you achieve a soft, manageable and not heavy texture.

Tip: if you feel the dough is very hard, you can add a little warm water and continue mixing until it softens.

Clean the chard leaves and cut the stem, since you are only going to use the leaf to make the ash tamales. He begins to assemble the corundas. To do this, take a piece of dough, approximately the size of the palm of your hand, place it on one end of the sheet and wrap it to form a triangle or rectangle.

Trick: the dough must be covered completely, avoid leaving spaces to prevent the dough from overflowing.

Once your tamales are formed, take them to a steamer, cover and let cook. When the water in the steamer begins to boil, count 1 hour and remove the pot from the heat. After the cooking time, you can now serve your ash tamales or corundas. You can enjoy them alone or accompany them with a little cream, fresh cheese and a red sauce . You can also refrigerate them and then cut them into slices and fry them. Either way, Michoacán corundas are delicious. Let’s eat!

Traditional recipe of corundas or ash tamales

The name of ash tamales comes from the use of ash in the preparation of corn dough. Not everywhere you can find ingredients like ash, but if you can get them, just follow these steps:

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of nixtamalized (corn)

• 300 g of ash

• 100g lime

Preparation:

1. The nixtamalized is cooked with the lime and ash , when it is cooked, about an hour later, it is removed from the heat, washed with clean water to remove the excess lime and ash until the water comes out transparent, then it is taken to the mill or ground on the mutate.

2. From this, you can follow the steps as we mentioned, although, also, they are originally wrapped in reed or milpa leaves, if you get them simply clean the leaves very well and wrap as mentioned in the recipe. Of course, if you decide to use the reed or milpa leaf, do not forget to remove the leaf before eating.

It really is very easy to prepare this delicacy of corundas, do not worry if you do not get the original ingredients, since as we have explained in the previous recipe you will also get some exquisite tamales. Dare to prepare them, they are very good for breakfast or for a snack, you can enjoy them alone and taste them with milk.