Alex Stupak’s Mexican Corn Tortilla

We need Corn Masa Flour (1 ½ Cup or 168 g), widely available in our supermarkets. Masa harina is different from Corn Flour, in that it's made by soaking corn grains into a slaked lime, a process termed nixtamalization which will loosen the hulls from the kernels and softens the corn.

Sounds odd, but that's exactly how the ancient and wise Aztecs made their Masa Harina. I say wise because they understood that this tedious process would not only enhance the taste but also produce Niacin, a vitamin that was not available in their surroundings - this saved them from a lot of diseases.

Stupak shows in his book how to make Nixtamal, but honestly unless you are bored to death there is no point making it (Making it yourself will not produce a fine flour either) and in the defense of industrial Masa Harina, it can be easily found in supermarkets. You may find organic masa as well.

To purchase online, see HERE

White Maseca Corn Flour

1. Let's knead the two ingredients (Corn Masa Flour (1 ½ Cup or 168 g) and Water (1 Cup or 232 g)) together by hand

2. Mixing the ingredients is easy, the masa absorbs the water like a thirsty hiker

3. Stop mixing as soon as the dough stopped sticking to your hands

4. Cover the masa with a damp towel

The Tortilla Press

5. To make the tortillas you may want to use a tortilla press, a cheap instrument that you can buy anywhere. To purchase online, see HERE

6. Take a ziploc bag or freezer bag and cut two squares

Tortilla Press

7. Grab a small handful of masa, about 44 g ( 1 oz )

8. Make a ball about the size of a golf ball and gently flatten it

9. Open the press, position the masa in the center and press, folding the top and pushing on the handle

10. Peel off the plastic and you will get a perfect rounded shape tortilla

11. You will notice it's fun to make corn tortilla, and easier than the Flour tortillas

12. The tortilla is about 5.9" (or 5 29/32" or 15 cm) in diameter and less than 0.11" (or 1/8" or 0.3 cm) thick

13. You need to cook the tortillas right away (as they dry fast)

14.  Cook one side, flip it and cook the other side a few seconds

Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Le CreusetSaute Pan Scanpan

Storing the cooked tortillas

15.  You may store the cooked tortillas on a plate sitting on a double boiler

16. Stupak mentioned that it's best if you use the tortillas right away. After cooking them, garnish them and serve your tacos, they will taste better when they are freshly cooked.