Food World Cuisines Latin American Cuisines Mexican Cuisine How to Make Tortillas, Tacos, and Pupusas With Homemade Masa Make the most of Mexico's foundational heirloom corn ingredient. By Ashley Day Ashley Day Ashley Day is Food & Wine's associate editorial director. She's edited and directed food and travel content at USA TODAY, the Institute of Culinary Education, and Chef & Restaurant magazine, and contributed to The Food Institute, The Daily Meal, and the recipe app meez. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 10, 2024 Close Photo: DYLAN + JENI As Khushbu Shah writes in the July 2024 issue of Food & Wine, "You cannot talk about corn in Mexican culture without talking about nixtamalization, a millennia-old process in which kernels are soaked in an alkaline solution and then peeled. Nixtamalization not only transforms the hard corn kernels into a soft, pliable grain, but it also increases the nutritional value of the corn, freeing up essential nutrients. Masa, the dough made from ground nixtamalized corn, is the bedrock of Mexican cuisine, used in everything from tortillas and tamales to beverages like atole." With these recipes, learn how to make masa at home (it's easier than you think!), and use fresh masa or masa harina to make sweet and savory dishes, from tamales and tacos to pancakes and pupusas. You'll see how fresh masa imparts a distinct fluffy texture and sweet corn aroma, while masa harina from Masienda can support Mexican agriculture. 01 of 13 Homemade Corn Tortillas Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva F&W 2021 Best New Chef Fermín Núñez shares the recipe for perfect tortillas — mildly nutty with a little bit of natural sweetness and a deliciously strong corn fragrance — from Suerte restaurant in Austin. Get the Recipe 02 of 13 Bean and Cheese Pupusas Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Houston chef Evelyn Garcia kneads masa harina with water and salt to form a soft, malleable dough for these fluffy pupusas, the popular street food from El Salvador, stuffed with beans and cheese. Get the Recipe 03 of 13 Masa-Battered Fish Tacos with Citrus-Pickled Onions Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen 2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss of Pascual in Washington, D.C., uses masa harina for this corn tortilla and to coat tender, flaky cod in a crispy, tempura-inspired batter, fragrant with heirloom corn. Get the Recipe 04 of 13 Crispy Fish Tacos on Achiote Corn Tortillas Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne Use masa harina and achiote paste for homemade achiote tortillas to top with battered and fried cod, a tart remoulade, and crunchy kohlrabi slaw. Get the Recipe 05 of 13 Red Shrimp Snacking Tamales DYLAN + JENI Paola Briseño González encases finely ground dried shrimp in chile-seasoned masa preparada to cook in corn husks for this make-ahead holiday tradition. Get the Recipe 06 of 13 Oyster Mushroom Tamales with Mole Encacahuatado DYLAN + JENI For this vegetarian recipe, González encases roasted oyster mushrooms and peanut mole in the masa and corn husks yielding savory, aromatic, earthy tamales. Get the Recipe 07 of 13 Mango-Blackberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Fluffy drop biscuits are a simpler alternative to the rolled biscuit toppings of many cobblers, and these ones are fluffy with a sweet corn flavor, thanks to masa harina. Get the Recipe 08 of 13 Masa Preparada for Tamales DYLAN + JENI Masa is the secret to perfect tamales, and a dough made from fresh masa has a sweet corn aroma and fluffy texture that you can't match with masa harina. Here's how to make the dough with duck fat in 15 minutes, thanks to Paola Briseño González. Get the Recipe 09 of 13 Masa Pancakes Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen 2023 F&W Best New Chef Emmanuel Chavez uses masa harina to give these pillowy pancakes crispy, caramelized edges and a smooth corn flavor. Get the Recipe 10 of 13 Xeni Atapakua (Three-Seed Pipián with Sorrel) Photo by Felipe Luna Atapakua is a term that refers to whole range of stew-like dishes thickened with masa from the Indigenous Mexican people, Purhépecha. Sorrel adds bright acidity to this one from Imelda Campos Sebastián (Doña Mela) and Michael Snyder. Get the Recipe 11 of 13 Chilpachole de Camarón con Callo de Hacha y Chochoyotes (Shrimp Stew with Scallops and Masa Dumplings) Victor Protasio Paola Briseño González and Javier Cabral use freshly ground masa to make chochoyotes, dumplings or dough bits, for this seafood stew from Veracruz, Mexico. Get the Recipe 12 of 13 Buttermilk Pancakes with Masa Harina © Christina Holmes Make light, fluffy pancakes that are full of corn flavor from masa harina in this 30-minute recipe from Empellón pastry chef Lauren Resler. Get the Recipe 13 of 13 Homemade Fresh Masa DYLAN + JENI Though the process of nixtamalization may sound intimidating, it's quite simple and requires only two key ingredients: dried dent corn and pickling lime, or cal, both of which are available at Latin markets and online. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit