How to make corn tortillas?!
How to make corn tortillas?
I am all out of that powder stuff you mix with water, and need toknow the recipe for corn tortillas from scratch. pleeaseee helppp!!!
Additional Details3 weeks ago
I dont have masa harina!!! that is why i need the recipe!
Answers:
3 weeks ago
I dont have masa harina!!! that is why i need the recipe!
MEXICAN CORN TORTILLAS
3 lbs. shelled corn or 1 1/2 kilos (dry corn kernels)
3 qts. cold water
3 oz. slaked lime (hydrated - in S.A. it is used in mixing cement and paints,
it comes in powder or rock form)
Wash the shelled corn (be sure it does not have rodent or insect poison) buy at food market. Cover the shelled corn with cold water in a large pot (enamel or steel is best). Add the lime and dissolve it. Boil until the corn grains begin to peel. Remove from fire and wash in cold water several times. Rub the kernels between fingers until kernels are peeled. Rinse well to remove all lime. Grind in a food chopper with fine blade, or a small corn mill. This makes about 6 pounds.
For making tortillas, add 1 teaspoon salt for each 2 cups meal and knead into a lump. Break off a piece the size of an egg and flatten a little, then put into a tortilla press between plastic papers and press into a tortilla. If you don't have a press, it can be rolled out between pieces of plastic or waxed papers. Cook the tortilla on a very dry grill or frying pan until toasted on both sides.
Corn tortillas are the foundation of classic Tex-Mex dishes like enchiladas, gorditas, quesadillas, tacos and tostados. Mexican cooks have been patting them out for millennia; tortillas are the bread of Mexico.
The ingredients for tortilla making are incredibly, and somewhat deceptively, simple. There are only two: corn flour and water. We could get so basic as to detail the process of making corn flour with parched corn and slaked lime, and grinding the resulting product ourselves, but no one would do that. And besides, there is a product made by The Quaker Oats Company called Masa Harina that makes an excellent corn tortilla. Masa Harina may be difficult to find in some, principally northern, areas of the U.S., and you may have to ask your grocer to order it for you. It can also be obtained by mail order, although it is a bit pricey ($3.95 for 2 pounds, plus shipping), compared to what you pay for it in a local supermarket.
Whatever you do, don't confuse corn flour with corn meal. Corn meal is made from a completely different process, and it simply won't work for tortilla making.
You'll need a big cast-iron skillet or griddle and a tortilla press, too. Tortilla presses have become pretty easy to find in kitchen-supply stores. Not exactly a high-tech gadget, if you pay more than $20 for one, you've paid way too much. If you can't find a tortilla press, it is possible (but not preferable) to press out your tortillas on a flat surface using a heavy, flat-bottomed dish. You'll also need some plastic bags of the sandwich or freezer variety, but more about that later.
In most every recipe for corn tortillas, the proportion of ingredients called for is 2 cups of Masa Harina to 1/4 to 1-1/3 cups of water. However, the difference between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup, while only 4 teaspoons, can be critical.
The process is this:
Mix the Masa Harina and the water; knead to form your masa (dough)
Pinch off a golf-ball sized piece of masa and roll it into a ball
Set the masa on a piece of plastic in the tortilla press; cover with another piece of plastic
Press the masa
Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet
Cook for about 30 seconds on one side; gently turn
Cook for about 60 seconds (it should puff slightly); turn back to the first side
Cook for another 30 seconds on the first side
Remove and keep the tortilla warm
Sounds simple enough, but there are several crucial considerations along the way and, until you have made a batch or two and get the hang of it, a few tortilla-making tips will ease the way.
When mixing the masa, mix all the Masa Harina with 1-1/4 cup of the water. You can work it with your hands, if you like. If it seems too dry, add additional water, a teaspoon at a time. Too much water, and you won't be able to peel the plastic off the tortilla; too little and your tortilla will be dry and crumbly. Unlike pastry dough, masa does not suffer from being over-handled.
The masa will dry out quickly. Keep it covered with a piece of plastic wrap while making your tortillas.
Cut up sandwich or (my favorite) freezer bags work better than the flimsier plastic wrap or waxed paper.
Hold the pressed tortilla (with the plastic on both sides) in one hand. Peel away the top plastic from the tortilla (not the tortilla from the plastic). Flip it over into your other hand, and peel away the other piece of plastic.
Gently place the tortilla on the hot skillet or griddle. It should make a soft sizzling sound when you do. If your tortillas are not perfect circles, don't worry; they will still taste wonderful.
If your skillet or griddle is at the right temperature, a tortilla can be cooked in no more than 2 minutes.
The use of cast-iron utensils is important. You are cooking at high heat on a dry surface, and a lighter-weight utensil could warp.
Brown spots on your tortillas are good -- an indication that they are handmade, rather than punched out of a big machine and cooked assembly-line fashion.
The number of tortillas you make with this basic recipe depends upon their size and thickness. I usually get about 12 to 14 tortillas approximately 6 inches in size, depending upon the number I am compelled to eat while I'm cooking (I usually keep the butter and salsa handy during the process).
The experienced tortilla cook need not turn out tortillas one at a time. You can get your own assembly-line process going by using two big skillets. Another pair of hands in the form of a kitchen helper can hasten the process, as well.
Put your hot tortillas in an aluminum foil pouch wrapped in a kitchen towel or napkin. You want them to stay hot and tender. Corn tortillas can be made 2 hours in advance, wrapped and reheated. Bake, in a 350°F oven for about 12 minutes.
If you think tortillas from the supermarket taste just fine, this article may not be for you. Come to think of it though, if you think they taste okay, could be you don't really know how a tortilla is supposed to taste. This article could be for you after all.
After you have made tortillas once, you will be experienced enough to make the judgment calls regarding the amount of water, cooking temperature and "feel" of the masa. You will know how everything is supposed to look and feel. Best of all, you will know the smell and taste of fresh, handmade corn tortillas produced right in your own kitchen.
Homemade Corn Tortillas:
14 min 10 min prep
12 servings
2 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups water (add more if necessary)
1. Using electric mixer, mix all ingredients together.
2. Heat griddle to medium heat.
3. Spray griddle with mist of oil.
4. Using 1/2 cup measuring cup, fill about 2/3 full with batter.
5. Spread batter out onto griddle with spoon.
6. Cook 2 minutes on each side.