In the Mexican kitchen, masa (Spanish for “dough”) is what you get by grinding fresh Nixtamal into a mass. When I say that Veracruzan corn dishes are incomparable, masa is the most crucial thing I can think of. With no added fancy ingredients, the corn has such pure and good flavor that you can find yourself relishing the dough for its own sake.
The number of things you can do with masa is infinite. It can be thinned to make a drink (atole de mora). As a thickener, it lends wonderful flavor while binding soups or sauces. It makes delicious dumplings — the Bolitas de masa should be tried by any dumpling fan. Masa-based tortillas are a fascinating family ranging from the Tortillas de masa y plátano verde, Gorditas de infladas, Pellizcadas, and Enchiladas huastecas. Masa can serve as wrapping, shell, or base for any sort of filling and topping. This is how you encounter it in innumerable street snacks — the smaller fried shells called Garnachas de masa cocida, or the simple empanadas made by folding a tortilla in half to wrap a filling.
Good masa is an indispensable ingredient for exploring Veracruzan cuisine. How do you obtain it in the U.S.? I think most people would be wise to look for a tortilla factory — it’s surprising how many turn up in local phone books across the country — and try to order it fresh-ground. If no tortilla factory exists anywhere near your home, check at your local Whole Foods! It was just announced that they are starting to use native Mexican corn, specifically Oaxacan corn. I don’t know the details yet, but here is an article.
I have tried masa from many different U.S. suppliers and usually find it good rather than superlative. The true, deep corn taste of Veracruzan masa isn’t quite there. When the masa has to be thinned, I almost always use homemade chicken stock instead of the more authentic water to try to boost the flavor, but it’s not a perfect solution.
There are two alternatives to U.S. tortilla-factory masa. One is dehydrated powdered masa, often sold as masa harina. (Never confuse it with U.S. cornmeal, which is absolutely unacceptable!) It comes in 2- and 5-pound bags and has to be reconstituted by being mixed to a paste with liquid — again, I prefer chicken stock for extra body and flavor. Rehydrated masa harina is not as good as real masa, but I find it acceptable in all but a few cases. The brand I prefer is Maseca. However, Quaker masa harina is more widely available and can be ordered through any supermarket that carries Quaker cereals.
The basic technique of reconstituting masa harina is always the same, though the proportion of liquid may vary from recipe to recipe. Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl and work in slightly warm water or stock with a wooden spoon or your bare hands until you have a fairly stiff dough — a little softer for tamales and firmer for tortillas. The exact amount of liquid needed tends to fluctuate from batch to batch.
The other possibility is to grind your own masa from homemade Nixtamal. For centuries this was the only way of making masa in Mexico. People did it at home kneeling on the floor in front of the immemorial volcanic rock metate — a real Stone Age process that some people still use for small quantities when they want a particular consistency. But most cooks in Oaxaca now take their nixtamal to a local mill to be custom-ground (unless they buy fresh masa already ground to order). I have experimented with different home methods, and to my dismay they either didn’t work or were nearly as grueling as bending over the metate! The problem is that the nixtamalized corn has enough starch to gum up most devices.
The food processor gave a very poor consistency. I tried the grain-grinding attachment of my KitchenAid electric mixer and can’t recommend it — the attachment, actually intended for dry grains, works after a fashion, but it is very slow going. However, I did get a letter from a reader who uses the meat grinding attachment of his KitchenAid and has had excellent results. Another solution I suggest if you passionately desire to grind your own masa is a hand-cranked, tinned cast-iron corn mill from South America that clamps onto a table and can be adjusted to coarser or finer grinds. As a general rule of thumb, coarsely ground masa is best for tamales, finely ground for tortillas and most other purposes such as thickening sauces. Keep the distinction in mind if ordering dough from a tortilla factory.
Grinding with the mill is also difficult and time consuming, but it is more efficient than the KitchenAid.
Hand-ground Masa (Masa molida a mano)
Ingredients
- 1 pound well drained
Nixtamal about 4 cups - Water as necessary
Instructions
- Clamp the grinder firmly to a tabletop or counter with a plate or bowl under the grinding plates. Adjust the distance of the plates (by the calibration on my Universal grinder, set at 3 for a fine and 5 for a coarse grind). Begin feeding handfuls of nixtamal into the hopper of the machine while turning the handle. Push down firmly with your hand to keep the kernels going in.
- When all the corn is ground, gather up a handful between your fingers to judge the consistency. The ground nixtamal usually requires some water to form a proper dough. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water at a time, working the masa with your hands or a wooden spoon, until the mixture holds together well and is the consistency of a stiff cookie dough. The amount of water needed may be ½ to ⅔ cup.
