What is masa dough made of?
Homemade masa dough might sound intimidating, but doesn't have to be: prepackaged masa harina, the coarse flour ground from hominy that's already been slaked with lime in the traditional manner, makes its preparation a snap.
What is masa harina flour?
What Is It? Masa harina is a staple ingredient called for in a variety of Mexican recipes. This instantly-binding corn flour is used for making the dough, referred to as masa or masa dough, for tortillas, tamales, and pupusas, and gorditas.
What is lamasa used for?
Lamasa is a clay like substance, made by mixing and heating commonly available ingredients, such as corn flour. It is used to create flowers, figures and objects such as paper clips, pencil caps, napkin holders, decorative, jewelry and tumblers. Lamasa is an easy craft used to make objects such as this.
What is a lamasa clay?
Lamasa is an easy craft used to make objects such as this. It looks and behaves like air-dry clay, such as ceramic and craft porcelain clay. It is soft and smooth to touch and has a clear white appearance. You can either add color to the Lamasa dough before creating shapes or paint the objects after wards.
What is a Lamasa?
Lamasa is a clay like substance, made by mixing and heating commonly available ingredients, such as corn flour. It is used to create flowers, figures and objects such as paper clips, pencil caps, napkin holders, decorative, jewelry and tumblers. Lamasa is an easy craft used to make objects such as this.
How do you make Lamasa art?
0:182:05How to make Lamasa dough - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo to make one bowl of la masa dough we need 1 bowl of corn flour 1 bowl of fevicol Sh 1 cap ofMoreSo to make one bowl of la masa dough we need 1 bowl of corn flour 1 bowl of fevicol Sh 1 cap of glycerin 1/4 teaspoon of zinc oxide. And 1 lemon all these ingredients have to be mixed.
What is Lippan art work?
The word 'Lippan' means 'clay' or 'dung' in local Gujarati, and the word 'kaam' denotes 'work'. Lippan Kaam is essentially mud-relief work that incorporates mirrors. It is used to embellish the interior and exterior walls of the circular adobes that these communities live in.
Buying, Cooking, and Recipes
Linnea Covington has been writing about food for over a decade. From farmers' markets to award-winning restaurants, if the eats prove good, she's there, often trailed by her two young boys.
What Is Masa Harina?
Masa harina is a pre-made corn dough that is sold dehydrated and bagged for easy home use. It's made by taking dried flint corn kernels (which are harder than corn on the cob) and soaking them in calcium hydroxide (also known as slaked lime) or another alkali. This process is known as nixtamalization, which has been documented back to 1500 B.C.
Masa Harina vs. Cornmeal
Masa harina is not the same as cornmeal. The former is made with nixtamalized corn, which breaks down the fibers so it can rehydrate with ease. Cornmeal, on the other hand, hasn't been treated and is simply finely ground kernels.
Varieties
Masa harina comes in three varieties: white, blue, and yellow, which are a result of the color of the corn. White is the most common type with yellow coming in second; blue masa harina is the least popular variation. They can all be used in the same way, but the white does have a slightly sweeter flavor than the other two.
Masa Harina Uses
Although the most common use for masa harina is making corn tortillas and tamales, there are other recipes that call for this ingredient. To use masa harina, water needs to be added to moisten the corn flour to create a dough.
What Does It Taste Like?
Cooking masa harina by steaming, heating on the griddle, or frying brings out the nutty, tangy nuances of the corn and makes the corn flour more palatable. Because of masa harina's neutral taste, spices and other ingredients like beer, ground chile peppers, and paprika are added to enhance the eating experience.
Masa Harina Recipes
Masa harina can be used in any food that calls for pliable corn dough, whether it be the tamale, tortilla, or the tlacoyo, a fat corn cake stuffed with beans, cheese, ground meat, and other ingredients.
What is Masa?
Masa is a fresh dough made from ground field corn, or maize. To make masa harina flour, you first start with masa dough. The freshly made dough is dried and ground into instant flour, which can be reconstituted back into dough by adding water.
What is Nixtamalization?
Nixtamalization ( nix-tuh-mal-uh-zay-shun) is an ancient process used to treat field corn kernels with lime water to give them a distinctive flavor and make them easier to digest. This method is the key to making masa dough, masa harina flour, and another corn product called hominy.
How to Make Masa Dough
Once you've made nixtamal corn, you're one step closer to making masa dough for delicious, authentic corn tortillas. You'll need a high-powered food processor that can run continuously for several minutes to grind the nixtamal. Follow these steps:
How to Make Masa Harina
If you want to make your own masa harina flour to keep on hand, follow the same steps above but stop before kneading the dough. Instead, once the corn is finely ground, you’ll need to dry it using a dehydrator. Follow these steps:
How to Make Corn Tortillas
You can make corn tortillas with fresh masa dough, homemade masa harina, or store-bought masa harina. If you’re working with fresh dough, it may be a little wet and hard to shape. Let it sit out to dry or add masa harina flour to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it becomes dry enough to handle.
Click Play to See This Flavorful Homemade Tamale Dough Come Together
"Making tamale dough is something I’ve always wanted to try. Sourcing the ingredients requires a little work but it's definitely worth it. And seasoning the dough with the suggested spices is highly encouraged." — Renae Wilson
Recipe Variations
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different herbs and spices in your dough, varying them according to your personal preferences or complimenting the flavors in the filling (s) that you intend to use.
Are Cornmeal and Masa Harina the Same?
Both cornmeal and masa harina are made from hominy (dried corn), but they are treated and ground differently and are used in different types of recipes. Cornmeal is coarsely ground hominy often used as a breading, in cornbread, and more. Masa harina is made from hominy that is treated with a lye solution and ground very fine, more like flour.
What Is Masa Harina?
Not to be confused with masa dough (more on the difference below), masa harina literally translates to "dough flour." It is a type of flour made from dried corn kernels that are cooked and soaked in a lime solution (here lime refers to calcium hydroxide, not the fruit) to make hominy — this is what gives corn tortillas their recognizable sour flavor.
Masa Harina vs. Masa
The difference between masa harina and masa is simple: Masa is what you get when you mix masa harina with water. It is a corn dough that is used to make a number of foods that are essential to Mexican cuisine, including tortillas and tamales .
Masa Harina vs. Cornmeal and Corn Flour
Both cornmeal and corn flour are made from milled, dried corn. Where they differ is the degree to which they are ground, with cornmeal being coarsely ground and corn flour being finely ground. Neither are soaked in the lime water solution used to make masa harina, which is why they don't produce the same sour flavor.
Masa Harina Substitutes
You can use corn flour or cornmeal as a substitute for masa harina, but you will not get that distinctive flavor that comes as a result of soaking the corn in lime water. So, what should you substitute for masa harina to get the same flavor?
Where to Buy Masa Harina
Masa harina can be found in the international aisle at most major grocery chains. It can also be found at Mexican supermarkets. You might notice a variety of colors next to the name "masa harina," such as blue masa harina, white masa harina, and yellow harina. These refer to the color of the corn used to produce the masa harina.
How to Use Masa Harina
I would be remiss if I didn't start with the most obvious and common way to use masa harina: corn tortillas! Make your own masa dough using masa harina, water, and salt, and then fire up the griddle to cook them up.
What is Masa Harina?
To fully understand where Masa Harina comes from it’s helpful to go back to the source. Take a look at this pic from a supermarket in Cozumel:
So how do I use it?
The most common use is for Homemade Corn Tortillas. All you need is 2 cups of Masa Harina, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1.5 cups of warm water.
