For the filling: Blend the black beans with the avocado leaves (if you can’t find avocado leaves, you can skip them—the tamales will still taste great). Blend the Morita chiles with the beans until you get a thick purée. Add salt to taste.

Add the lard to the masa, then gradually add water and knead until the dough is smooth and workable.

Add a little salt to taste (not too much, since the filling already has salt).

How to know when the masa is ready:

Drop a small piece of the dough into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready. If not, knead it more until it floats.

Spread the masa by hand onto a banana leaf or plastic wrap to about the thickness of a finger or half a finger.

Add the bean filling and spread it evenly over the masa.

Roll it up like you would a jelly roll, using the plastic wrap or banana leaf to help shape it.

Unwrap and cut into pieces about 4 inches (10 cm) long.

Wrap each piece in pre-soaked corn husks (soaked overnight and drained, or if you didn’t soak them overnight, soak them in hot water for a while).

Place all the tamales in a steamer with enough water, or in a tamale pot. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for about 1 hour, until the tamales easily pull away from the husk.

Finally, enjoy! I highly recommend them—they turn out delicious.