Nowadays not even ranchers or farmer communities prepare corn masa as it used to be the common practice for centuries in Mexico’s heartland. The use of ready-made corn masa is now more common, and they are widely used to make tortillas and other corn-based meals.
However, and thinking of those of you who are far away from México, here we are presenting you with the recipe to prepare your own home-made corn masa, which you can then use to make tortillas and many other delicious authentic Mexican corn-based antojitos and meals.
Corn Masa - Masa de Maíz
The process may be a bit time to consume, but you will agree with me that the unique flavor of tortillas and other antojitos made with freshly made corn masa is well worth the effort and time.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE Blue Corn-masa
How to make Corn Masa, step by step:
- Use clean corn seed, remove any chaff from the corn husk, rinse with tap water, and then remove any excess water using a plastic colander. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Put the corn into a non-corrosive pot. Use 2 to three liters of water per each one kilo of corn. Add two tablespoons of dried powered lime (Mexican cal) dissolved in ½ cup of filtered water.
- CAL MEXICANA.- You can find “cal mexicana” (powdered lime) in most Latin or Hispanic grocery stores.
- Transfer all these ingredients into a clay pot (preferably) and let it boil for few minutes (15-20 minutes), stir slowly using a wooden kitchen spoon. Remove the pot from the stove, cover it with a lid and let it cool overnight.
- You know that the corn is ready if it easily peels off when you rub it with your fingers after 15 -20 minutes of cooking.
- The next day, remove all the liquid (also known as “nejayote”), and rinse the corn two or three times rubbing off the loose skin until the kernels are quite white and the water looks clean. Drain well.
- Now the corn is ready for the grinder. You can use the ancient “metate”, but we are going to describe the grinding process using a manual plate grinder. Start grinding the corn in small batches twice or three times until it has a fine texture. Add enough water and mix until it forms a dough.
(This manual plate grinder could be replaced with a food processor, however, the texture cannot be duplicated.)
Enjoy!
If you have any questions, please send me an email or leave a comment.
Buen Provecho !Mely,More recipes:How to make flour tortillasTamal Casserole
Receta En Español
📖 Recipe
Corn Masa
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds of dried corn
- 1 Tablespoons of Lime
- Filtered water enough to cover the corn
Instructions
- Use clean corn seed, remove any chaff from the corn husk, rinse with tap water, and then remove any excess water using a plastic colander.
- Put the corn into a non-corrosive pot. Use 2 to three liters of water per each one kilo of corn. Add two table spoons of dried powered lime (Mexican cal) dissolved in ½ cup of filtered water.
- Transfer all these ingredients into a clay pot (preferably) and let it boil for few minutes (15-20 minutes), stir slowly using a wooden kitchen spoon. Remove the pot from the stove, cover it with a lid and let it cool overnight.
- You know that the corn is ready if it easily peels off when you rub it with your fingers after 15 -20 minutes of cooking.
- The next day, remove all the liquid (also known as “nejayote”), and rinse the corn two or three times rubbing off the loose skin, until the kernels are quite white and the water looks clean. Drain well.
- Now the corn is ready for the grinder. You can use the ancient “metate”, but we are going to describe the grinding process using a manual plate grinder. Start grinding the corn in small batches twice or three times until it has a fine texture. Add enough water and mix until it forms a dough.
Alex Alex
Hi Mely, thank you so much for this very informative post and all the comments!
I live in the UK, I’ve never made masa and I haven’t even tried proper tortillas but since I found your blog, I’ve been wanting to try making tortillas the way you describe. I wanted to try and grow some purple corn after I heard a BBC programme about it and I even bought some Hopi Blue seeds (ok I know it’s a different variety ) but I have to wait till next season now to plant them.
Then this morning I popped into my local greengrocer’s and I couldn’t believe my eyes – they had maiz morado on the counter! Real fresh maiz morado from Peru! I bought 9 ears and I’m literally falling over myself to get going with it! Actually I think I should go and buy some more so I can make lots of masa and freeze it.
So could you please give me some advice as like I said I’m a total novice.
First of all, are there any differences in the cooking process for purple corn I need to be aware of?
Secondly, I see from your comment above that I’ll need to dry the kernels, can this be done in the boiler cupboard? I think it gets to about 30C in there. Or can I dry them in a slow oven? I’d like to speed up the process if possible as I was hoping to make some purple tortillas for my son’s birthday party in 12 days’ time.
Also, do you know if I could try and save a few kernels for planting or would they not be ripe enough? If I could, is it best to dry them on the cob or can I pick them?
And finally, is there anything else I should try making from purple corn? Mazamorra maybe? Can that be made from masa or does it have to be a dried meal?
Many thanks!
Faith
mmartinez
Hello Alex,
Sorry the late reply, Wow, you really have lots of great questions.
The cooking process is the same, although I'm not familiar with that corn from Peru.
The corn is usually sun dried on the farms, but you can try drying it in a food dehydrator, maybe a low temperature oven will help.
To save some kernels for future planting, sundry the whole cob. The cobs are usually hanged using the husks to tie them from a line or fence.
You can make Atole, look for the recipes here on the blog.
Have fun and happy cooking!
Unknown
Do I grind the corn while wet or do I dry it first?
mmartinez
Hello,
The corn is ground while it is still moist.
Happy grinding!
Dani
Must you use dry corn? I am in Morocco where they grow and eat dent corn themselves. It is cheap and easy to get fresh, but I can find it dried.
I can dry it myself, but wondering if I can skip that step? Just cut it off the cob and begin soaking it?
Thank you for your help!
Danielle
mmartinez
Hello Dani,
The results won't be the same. Please dry the corn. To dry fresh corn, hang on a clothes using the same husk to tie to the line, the sun will dry it. It will take about 2 or 3 week to be dry enough. Bring inside if it rains.
Angelika
I read that we can't use the calcium hydroxide (pickling lime)directly for soaking the corn but have to make lime water by using the calcium hydroxide with water, let it settle over night and only use the clear liquid to soak the corn. Please clarify because I have been told that to ingest calcium hydroxide powder, which we would if we get it into contact with the corng is dangerous.
mmartinez
Hello Angelika,
I'm not familiar with that process, maybe you can contact Hína Kemenduro. (Check comment above from him) Maybe he can help you out with your question.
Have a nice day!
Averil Heath
Are there any uses for the nejayote?
Unknown
Thank you so much for your blog post! I was wondering if there would be any way it would work it I just used water? I have a very very bad metal allergy and can't use any food/food products that have come in contact with metal machinery. Do you think it would somewhat work if I dry my own corn and then just use water? Thank you!
mmartinez
Hello,
I'm unsure that just cooking the corn will bind to form the dough. You can try with a small portion of cooked corn. Dried uncooked corn won't bind to form the dough, I had tried that before. Try cooking it, and then come back to let me know. More people will be interested to know about it.
Hína Kemenduro
It does not work. Nixtamalization requires a strong alkali, which dissolves the outer shell of the corn and transforms the contents, changing is flavor quite a bit and improving it nutritionally, such as greatly increasing the niacin levels. I cannot imagine how you might get hold of a strong alkali that will meet your requirements. You might be able to use ashes, if you are careful about how you produce them... by volume, one part ashes, one part corn, and two parts water. Baked baking soda might also work, but I have not tried it nor can I find anybody on the web who says they have. If you use ashes, remember that you then have to grind the nixtamal. Unless you have a stone metate y mano, you will not be able to satisfy your must-not-touch-metal requirement.
If you have plain cornmeal, you might be able to make something along the lines of rice roti, but substituting corn mean for rice flour. There is a video (Hindi, with English subtitles) here.
However, the taste will be the taste of cornmeal and not nixtamal. Also, the nutrition will be that of cornmeal as opposed to that of nixtamal. Nixtamal is a miracle food, more nutritious even than wheat. Cornmeal is almost a health hazard it is so unbalanced.
You might also be able to make a nixtamal dough from cornmeal if you use filtered ash water from ashes and then follow the recipe for rice roti. Where I live, the Zuni and the Navajo made a traditional corn mush that way. The ash water provided some mineral benefit but its greatest benefit was nixtamalization, which released the niacin that was otherwise unavailable in the cornmeal.
Also, when you say "dry your own corn" remember that you must use a flint or dent corn. Sweet corn will not work.
Unknown
Very informative post. I got my metate at a flea market and I'm ready to go! Do you leave your corn to cool overnight at room temp? Any concern with bacteria settling in if you do? Thanks.
mmartinez
Hello,
No problem, you can leave it room temperature. The process will help to soften the corn.
Dennis Dana
I live in the Philippines. I was able to find feed corn. I followed your instructions and now have the best corn tortillas on the island. Thanks for a wonder website.
BCHAY
will be possible to know where you found the lime and the corn kernel? was white? or yellow? thanks 🙂
rbenash
Thanks - I have about 5 lb of posole seperated in 1 lb bags vac sealed in the fridge the process this week. I'll go ahead and freeze some. I can't say I "dried" it per se. I did drain it very well. I will be making some masa from a a couple pounds and vac seal/freeze that as well. Much easier knowing this rather than trying to go through the how process each time I want to make some tortillas or need posole/hominy.
rbenash
Hello Mely - really enjoy your blog and recipes! I've made my own corn tortillas from Masa Harina many times with success over the years. I'm now starting to experiment with making my own nixtamal and grinding with a Nixtamatic. My first batch of fresh masa was OK, but going to grind finer next time.
That said was wondering if you could comment on something. I would like to make the tortillas from fresh masa. But the process takes a bit of time. Would I be able to hold the posole after the rince in vacuum bags in the fridge or freezer and simply grind as needed? Wondering if you or your colleagues have ever tried holding posole in vac seal either in the fridge or freezer and grinding to masa as needed?
mmartinez
Hello rbenash,
As a matter of fact, you can freeze it. I had done that, dry very well the corn after the nixtamalization process, and vacuum seal them. I had also ground the corn with out added water, them vacuum sealed, and store in the freezer. It resembles a coarse flour, just add warm water to form the dough. Please let me know if you have more questions. I will be happy to help you.
Kevin
if I ground/mill drained and dry hominy kernels, - then I get masa?
mmartinez
Hello Kevin,
You mean without cooking, you won't be able to form the masa.
Unknown
Thanks for the reply and Happy New year! I guess I meant can I make masa from ground hominy (lyed corn kernels) that I can get canned? Then grind them. Isn't the making of hominy process the same as the dry corn soaked in lye?
mmartinez
Hello,
The process is different, the hominy is just cooked with water, and when ground, it doesn't form a dough similar in texture like the one used to make tortillas. I tried that option already, also cooked the hominy with lye, it doesn't work. Different type of corn.
jtuyemori
Mely such a great post! I am currently in Thailand and want to make masa but I'm not sure if they have powdered cal anywhere .Do you have any suggestions for a substitute ?
mmartinez
Hello Jtuyemori,
Look at construction suppliers, they for sure must know about it. Please let me know if you find it.
Anonymous
I am late to this thread but. I recently bought 10 lbs of calcium hydrate, for $8.00, from my local farm feed store.
I was assured it was food grade. I live in a small town in South east Texas.
Gene Locke
mmartinez
Thank you for the information Gene. I hope it helps other people looking where to find the Calcium hydrate.
66 Underachiever
If you've taken the time to search for and read Mely's fresh masa recipe you owe it to yourself to make your own, right now. Don't let anything you've read or videos you've seen scare you. This is easy and the results are incredible.
Thank you Mely, i'd put off making my own masa for years. Your post came up in a search and two days later I've made my best tortillas ever! (I used both your recipes since I came home with blue corn)
Rocha
Thanks so much! I recently moved from socal to Vietnam and was having a difficult time finding the things i needed to make tortillas de maiz. Definitely going to use your process so i can make tortillas for my friends out here. I'm so greatful for this information, you have no idea.
mmartinez
Hello Rocha,
If you have any questions, please let me know. Saludos!
lny2nes
I have never tried the Nutrimill, but, I have always used my "VitaMix 3600" to grind my corn and any other grain I need for bread making.
mmartinez
Thank you Iny2nes!
Did you try with wet corn or did you dried it first? I also have a vitamix, but I'd never tried to grind corn there.