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Tamales de Chepil (Oaxacan Chepil Herb Tamales)

Name: Tamales de Chepil (Oaxacan Chepil Herb Tamales)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 105 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 500 g Maize flour for tamales; 200 g Lard; 8 Banana leaf; 200 ml Chicken stock; 1 tsp Baking powder; 1 tbsp Salt; 200 g Chepil herb

105 min (45 prep + 60 cook) Medium 12 servings Oaxaca

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 26 Mar 2026

Oaxacan tamales with wild chepil herb.

About this recipe

Oaxacan tamales filled with chepil, a wild aromatic plant that gives them a unique flavour.

History & Origin

Tamales de chepil are one of the most emblematic tamales of Oaxaca and represent the essence of the cuisine of the Oaxacan Central Valleys. Chepil (Crotalaria longirostrata) is a wild plant with small, oval leaves that grows during the rainy season. Its flavour is unique: slightly bitter, herbaceous and deeply aromatic. The Zapotecs and Mixtecs have gathered chepil since pre-Hispanic times, and its appearance with the first rains of June marks the start of the season. The dough is prepared with nixtamalised maize, lard beaten until fluffy, and mixed generously with chepil leaves. They are wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. In the markets of Oaxaca, especially the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, tamales de chepil are sold from seven in the morning.

Estimated cost

£5.00

Total cost

£0.42

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

280

Calories

Protein

34g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

420mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Beat the lard until fluffy and whitish.
💡 Well-beaten lard is key to fluffy tamales.
2
Mix the maize flour with warm chicken stock, baking powder and salt.
3
Fold the beaten lard into the dough and knead until smooth.
💡 The dough is ready when a small ball floats in water.
4
Wash the chepil leaves and finely chop them. Fold into the dough.
💡 The chepil should be fresh for maximum flavour.
5
Pass the banana leaves over a flame to soften. Cut into squares.
6
Place portions of dough on the banana leaves and wrap.
7
Steam for 50-60 minutes. Done when they peel away from the leaf.
💡 Do not uncover the steamer during the first 40 minutes.