Tetelas Oaxaquenas

Ingredients

• 400 g masa harina, or 600 g fresh corn masa
• 550 ml warm water, if using masa harina
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus a pinch for the salsa
• 300 g cooked black beans
• 80 ml black bean cooking liquid
• 2 dried avocado leaves
• 1 dried chile de arbol
• 2 tbsp lard
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 200 g tomatillos, husked
• 1 serrano chilli
• 1 small handful coriander
• 120 ml thick crema
• 100 g queso fresco, crumbled

Before you cook

• Mix the masa harina with the salt and warm water into a soft, smooth dough, then cover it and rest it for 15 minutes.
• Husk and rinse the tomatillos.
• Chop the onion and garlic and crumble the queso fresco.

Steps

1. Toast the avocado leaves and the chile de arbol on a dry comal for 30 seconds a side, until they crackle and give off an aniseed scent.
2. Heat the lard in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 4 minutes, until golden at the edges.
3. Tip in the black beans with their liquid, the toasted avocado leaves and the arbol chilli.
4. Mash and fry the beans for 8 minutes, stirring, until they are thick enough to hold their shape on a spoon.
5. Fish out the avocado leaves and leave the bean paste to cool to warm.
6. Boil the tomatillos and the serrano in 300 ml water for 8 minutes, until they turn olive green and soften.
7. Drain them and blend with the coriander and a pinch of salt into a loose green salsa.
8. Divide the masa into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball.
9. Press one ball between two sheets of plastic into a round about 14 cm across and 3 mm thick.
10. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of bean paste into the centre of the round.
11. Fold three sides of the round in over the filling to make a triangle, overlapping the flaps and pressing the seams shut.
12. Slide the tetela onto a dry comal over medium heat and cook it for 3 minutes, until the underside is dry and freckled.
13. Turn it and cook for 3 minutes more, until it puffs slightly and the corners darken.
14. Shape and cook the remaining tetelas the same way.
15. Serve them hot with green salsa spooned over, a drizzle of crema and a scatter of queso fresco.