Uchepos Michoacanos ( Mexican Sweet Corn Tamales)

What is the hardest thing about being an adult? Well for me, aside from the bills, depression, dating life and other messy aspects of my adulthood is when I get those cravings for something my mom used to make when I was young but I do not know how to make and no restaurant sells it. 

I think that one of the difficulties of growing up in a Mexican household is that Mexico is so diverse and the cuisine varies by region. My parents are from Michoacan, Mexico. I lived there for 2 years when I was 8 and 9 years old. In those 2 years I was able to taste some amazingly delicious dishes that you can’t find anywhere else!  One of those is uchepos. 

Recently I got a random craving for an uchepo but at the same time I had this realization that out of all the Mexican restaurants I have ever been to I have never seen uchepos on the menu. So then it got me thinking and after a quick Google search I discovered that Uchepos are actually a regional dish of Michoacan. This would definitely explain why I had never seen one in a restaurant menu! By now you must be wondering what even is an “uchepo” well besides telling you that it is one of the best things you will ever eat I can tell you that it is a dish similar to tamales. It is a fresh sweet corn tamal steamed in a corn husk, it is sweet yet savory and typically served with Mexican crema and some sort of sauce.  

I remember when growing up my parents would take us to “el rancho” which for us meant visiting the countryside family members. In the “rancho” they would have all kinds of livestock from cows to chickens to pigs and horses and they would grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. One of those vegetables was the corn. It was so fresh and so sweet! Typically during peak corn season in the summer my family would harvest some corn and make uchepos. At the rancho often times there was no electricity so when we made uchepos it was a whole commitment. There was this tool that looked similar to a manual meat grinder that my mom would use to manually grind out the corn. I remember we would all take turns grinding out the corn to make the uchepos. 

When it comes to cooking these uchepos compared to tamales is that the uchepo is made with fresh corn and often time it will have some whole kernels of corn and it uses very little flour to hold everything together versus a tamal which is mainly flour and other ingredients. You should check out my tamal recipe here! One of the other big differences is that the uchepos are steamed in the fresh corn husks instead of the dried ones like a tamal would be. I think that by using a fresh corn husk you can preserve more of the corn flavor and moisture that you want for these uchepos. 

I had not made or had this dish in years! And funny thing is that even when my mom would make them here in the United States we would still use the manual grinder for the corn. I lack the patience to do all that and I believe in the miracles of technology so using my handy Ninja Blender I was able to pulse the corn in a food processor and cut the prep time significantly! What I love about this recipe, is that it is surprisingly easy to make but the flavor is unlike any you have probably ever had. And once you get the recipe down it is so easy to make and serve. For the presentation of this dish I decided to upgrade the sauce that would traditionally be served with it and make a red pepper coulis. A coulis is just a fancy term for a strained sauce. If you want my sauce recipe feel free to drop a comment and I’ll be happy to share. 

Uchepos always bring back memories for me so I am so happy to be sharing this recipe with you all. I hope you are able to make it and experience a little bit of my culture with every bite. 

Bon Appetit! 

Uchepos Michoacanos (Mexican Sweet Corn Tamales)

Serves: 15 ( 2 Uchepos per Serving)

Ingredients:

30 fresh corn husks
10 cups fresh sweet corn kernels, about 15 ears of corn  
4 ounces unsalted butter

1/2  cup Mexican Crema
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4   cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar

Shuck the ears of corn and set aside 30 corn husks, rinsed clean. 

In a large steamer pot bring water to a boil. 

Cut the fresh corn kernels off the cob. Set aside 1 cup of the fresh corn kernels. 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until almost smooth. 

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and fold in remaining corn. 

Spoon some of the mixture into one of the corn husks and fold. 

Place in steamer and cover to cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, check occasionally to ensure steamer has water.

Serve with your favorite sauce and Mexican crema, sour cream or queso fresco.