Corundas Michoacanas

corundas

Corundas are small triangular tamales with no filling. They are super soft, savory, and perfect to serve with salsa, cream, and cheese.

prep 30

cook 1 15

total 1 45

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Add lard and a pinch of salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until soft and fluffy (about 6-7 minutes).
Add masa harina, baking powder, and pork broth. Use the flat paddles and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. Taste the dough and adjust the salt if needed.
Take a corn leaf and add about ½ cup of dough on the widest end of the leaf.
Overlap the long part of the leaf to cover the dough. Then keep folding to cover the exposed parts of the dough shaping it into a triangle.
Tuck the pointy end of the leaf under another part of the leaf to secure the triangular tamal.
Repeat the steps until you use all the corn masa and leaves. Making around 14-15 corundas.
Place a steamer rack inside a large pot. Add water about 1 inch below the rack level, then place a layer of corn leaves on the rack.
Arrange the corundas inside the steamer and cover with another layer of corn leaves.
Steam over medium heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes, adding more water to the steamer whenever needed (check every 15-20 minutes).

Substitute pork lard with bacon fat or use a flavored oil such as extra virgin olive oil.
For serving, you can make this pork stew or my salsa roja recipe.
It can be a little tricky to shape the dough into a triangle, but you can remove the dough and try again until you’re happy with the results.
To check if the corundas are done, remove one from the steamer and carefully unwrap the leaf, allow to rest for 1 minute then check the center, it should be spongy and soft, not sticky.