Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Tetelas are the Oaxacan tortilla folded into origami: a round of masa dough is spread thin, spooned with black bean paste, folded into a distinctive triangular parcel — three folds meeting in the middle — and cooked on a hot dry comal until the outside is patched with dark spots and the beans inside are melting. Sold at every mercado in Oaxaca and the Central Valleys, especially the Sunday tianguis at Tlacolula and the Etla night market, tetelas are the small, portable, one-hand snack that fits between antojitos and lunch. They come with a spoon of salsa on top (usually roja or a chile de agua-based Oaxacan salsa), a scatter of crumbled quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese) and a splash of avocado.
Method
Whisk masa harina and salt. Add warm water and melted lard. Knead 2 minutes until smooth and playdough-soft. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
Warm the lard in a pan over medium heat. Cook the onion 5 minutes. Add garlic, avocado leaves and salt. Tip in the beans with 150ml water. Mash to a smooth-thick paste, cooking 8 minutes until dark and set. The paste should hold its shape on a spoon. Cool to warm.
Char the tomatoes, chiles de árbol, garlic and onion half on a hot dry pan 6 minutes. Blend with salt to a smooth sauce. Warm the oil, tip in the sauce and simmer 6 minutes until glossy.
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Press each between baking paper into a 14cm disc, 3mm thick. Spoon a heaped tbsp of refried beans into the middle. Fold three sides of the disc into the centre so they meet, forming a triangular parcel. Pinch the seams to seal. The finished tetela should be a neat triangle about 8cm across.
Heat a dry heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook each tetela 4 minutes on the first side, then 4 minutes on the second, then 1 more minute on the first side to finish. The outside should be patched with dark spots.
Set each hot tetela on a plate. Spoon a small puddle of salsa roja over the top. Top with a few strings of quesillo, a slice of avocado and a few coriander leaves. Serve immediately with lime wedges. Three tetelas per person is a good portion.
Cooled tetelas can be wrapped in foil and reheated on a comal for 3 minutes a side. They keep well for a lunchbox but are best fresh.
Modern versions add crumbled chicharrón, shredded chicken tinga or a spoon of mole negro alongside the beans. The classical Oaxacan version is bean-only, but a modern tetelería offers three to five fillings.
Tips
- Roll the dough thin. 3mm is the target. Too thick and the tetela is stodgy; too thin and it splits when you fold it.
- Seal the seams. Pinch each fold firmly so the beans don't leak during cooking. A leaking tetela sticks to the comal.
- Avocado leaves are the classical seasoning. Dried avocado leaves are sold at Latino grocers. If you can't find them, epazote works; both give the beans an Oaxacan character that plain refried beans don't have.
- Quesillo, not any cheese. Oaxacan string cheese is the correct topping — it pulls into long strings that drape over the salsa. Mozzarella is the closest supermarket substitute.
- Eat immediately. Tetelas cool fast and stiffen; they're at their best straight off the comal. If serving a crowd, cook them in rotation as guests arrive at the counter.
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