One of the many beauties of being Mexican is the right to be very loud and proud (justifiably so) about our abundant culinary contributions. When establishing the quintessential elements of what makes (or breaks) a good taco, you must consider the foundation: the tortilla. In my book, a good corn tortilla is slightly chewy with a strong corn flavor, can deliver on the “puff” effect that we all know and love, and can bend without breaking after warming—all of which come from a high-quality masa harina.
Masa harina is a finely ground corn flour composed of dried, nixtamalized kernels (soaked in food-grade lime water), essential to a plethora of foods that use masa (think tortillas, tamales, gorditas). And no one does it better than Masienda.
I like to think of myself as the (very) unofficial founder of the Masienda fan club, championing it for all things masa. My introduction to the brand came through a masa demonstration by Masienda founder Jorge Gaviria, who walked us through the need-to-know for its corn grinder, the Molinito, the first molino explicitly designed to be home-cook friendly. My love for the brand only grows fonder as I taste my way through their extensive corn offerings. I've worked with their whole kernels and their masa harina (my cheat code to perfect tortillas every time).
Masienda’s latest contribution to the masa-verse is their Masa Taquera, a masa harina with a higher calcium hydroxide content (more lime in the lime soak) for that Mexican taqueria taste we all know and love.
What sets this masa harina apart is its distinct, intense corn flavor. That comes from a higher concentration of lime in the nixtamalization process, which brings out a deeper, more dynamic flavor than your average masa harina. The result is super pliable, puff-every-time tortillas. Just note that this one has been formulated specifically for tortillas; that bold flavor is a feature here, but it can be overwhelming in other applications, such as with tamales.
My review of Masienda’s Masa Taquera
Every Thursday, I close out the week here in the Test Kitchen with a humble family meal, utilizing groceries from our end-of-week fridge cleanout. In this week’s rummaging, I stumbled across some leftover steak and very sad produce: a plastic-wrapped onion half, straggling easter egg radishes, bruised limes, and soon-to-wilt cilantro patiently waiting to be put out of its misery. I instantly knew what needed to be done: tacos.
My order of operations when taco’ing is always: marinate my meat, prep my toppings, then work my masa. This was the perfect opportunity to grab a bag of Masa Taquera to get me to the promised land.
When mixing this masa harina, you’ll want to grab a scale, some warm water, and a big bowl. Some tricks I’ve found to achieve the most perfect tortillas are to slowly integrate your water into your masa, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before rolling out your balls, weigh your masa (you can do the math on how many tortillas your dough should yield), and allow your comal or pan to get HOT. I got working on a double batch, since it’s no secret that my team absolutely adores my tacos (yes, they’re a thing).
Right off the bat, I noticed the potent corn smell from the raw dough that only grew while they cooked. I appreciated the slight char that these tortillas picked up as they puffed, and how well they held wrapped in a kitchen towel in a warm oven. They were tender with great elasticity and did not snap or crack when bent. I appreciate all of the earthy, nutty corn notes that come through these tortillas.
In short, this masa harina met all of my requirements (and then some!) for perfect tortillas. I’ll be adding Masienda’s Masa Taquera to my taco arsenal from here, and you should too if you want authentic, delicious corn tortillas.
Complete your taco night
- Get those onions super thin with a really good mandoline slicer
- If you don't have a comal, make your tortillas on a carbon steel skillet
- Fire up your grill for those marinated meats