Masa Harina out of Ground Tortillas
There are going to be a lot of Mexican and Latin American recipes asking for masa harina because it is a staple.
Before we go on, I just want to make it clear you should never try and use all-purpose flour. It will never be an acceptable substitute because it is made from wheat, and as we discussed above, masa harina is derived from corn.I enjoy Latin American food, and I cook with masa harina more than most home cooks, but the ingredient is not available to a lot of people.
There is no need to worry though. I have many substitutes capable of filling in, and in some cases, you will not be able to tell the difference between the real thing and the subs.
I like this substitute the best because it is the easiest. My wife loves Mexican cuisine, and she loves cooking with it. This means we have a lot of extra corn tortillas.
Usually, the bonus corn tortillas are for burritos, tacos or tostadas, but when I am feeling in the mood, I like to grab several stacks of the stale ones before they are on their way to the trash.
As long as there is no mold growing, the stale corn tortillas are perfect for transforming into masa harina.
Ingredients
- The corn tortillas are perfect substitutes because they are made from masa harina. Since you are using stale corn tortillas, they are already getting dry, which makes this quick recipe perfect:
- Three or four large corn tortillas
- Kosher salt
- Warm water
Instructions
- Place the tortillas in a food processor and grind them to a fine consistency.
- Add kosher salt to the blend and gauge how much will be needed based on what you think will be to taste in the final product.
- Pulse the dry mixture to circulate the kosher salt.
- Add warm water slowly and a little at a time until you have a consistency good enough to shape the dough.
