Andean Humita en Chala

This recipe is adapted from Argentine chef Francis Mallman. Mallman also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

This savory first course is Mallman's version of a traditional recipe from the painted-desert Argentine province of Salta. With their corn-husk wrapping humitas are somewhat similar to the spongier Central American tamal.

This is one of the rare but significant Argentine dishes that reflects South America's Incan heritage. For the most part, Indian influences are muted in Argentine cooking, except for the country's enduring passion for grilling over an open fire. But Mallman is enraptured by the traditions of the Incas, with their mud ovens and, as he puts it, "the worship of peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, and tomatoes ... all that magic and mystery."