|
MASA: though technically the word means "dough" in Spanish, in Mexico it is generally understood to be "corn dough" the ubiquitous dough of tortillas and tamales.
Fresh masa -- made from the treated, soaked, ground field corn and wateræcan be purchased at tortilla factories in 2 ways: with smooth consistency for making tortillas and, upon request (if you are lucky), with a coarser consistency for making tamales. (Be careful to differentiate between masa para tamales and masa preparada para tamales: The latter, available at some tortilla factories and large Mexican groceries, is the coarse-textured masa mixed with lard and flavorings.)
If there is a choice, buy from a tortilla factory that makes the whitest masa, generally indicating that the bitter cal used to treat the corn has been washed off completely; the only time white doesn’t equal pure is when the masa is made from yellow corn.
For tortillas, the fresh dough should be wrapped, refrigerated and used within 1 day. If using within a few hours, there is no need to refrigerate. Even before the masa spoils (3 or 4 days), it will lose the plasticity crucial to making light tortillas.
Masa for tamales can be frozen for a month or more, well wrapped. When fresh masa is called for usually the smooth-ground masa for tortillas should be used, unless otherwise indicated.
MASA HARINA: This powdery-looking meal, sold in many chain supermarkets and all Mexican groceries, is fresh corn masa that has been force-dried and then powdered. It is not at all the same as fine-ground corn meal, in either taste or application. It is certainly more readily available to the average cook than the quick-perishing fresh masa, but the flavor is a little different.
The Quaker Oats brand is most common, though I have had better luck with the Maseca brand, occasionally available in Mexican groceries in the United States. Stored in a dry place and wrapped well, it will last a year or so.
Masa harina for tamales is my second choice after fresh masa for tamales. The only brand I’ve seen in the States is Maseca, and it is called "masa instantánea de maiz para hacer tamales," or "instant corn masa mix for tamales." It produces a beautiful light texture, though it lacks some of the earthy sweetness and toothsome textural irregularities of fresh coarse-ground masa.
Making tamales from masa harina for tortillas works, too but the tamales will be a little less flavorful, texturally uniform and a little denser. Rest assured the tamales are still plenty acceptable, especially if the other ingredients are good.
Excerpted from
Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless (Morrow).
| 
