Anywhere To Buy Masa

[zippydedodah]

Well, apparently there is no place to buy dried (non-hot) chili pepper powders for making tasty mexican sauces.. so lets move on thru the menu and see if any MASA is available around town.

There is a lot of corn production here in thailand, and masa is just dried corn, cooked with the right amount of lime, overnight... then ground into a dough, from which you can make either tortillas or tamales (at least)...

But i have yet to find anywhere that sells it... bought "corn meal" at Yok and found it to be more like corn starch. I have found the equivalent of Polenta and used that (plus banana leaves substituting for corn husks) to make some passable tamales, but not quite what i am looking for.

I asked at one of the larger mexican restaurants and they did not have a source... but maybe someone on the board knows.

any help for sourcing masa?

[tornado24]

Arepas!!! Mmmm I think you miss america haha

you can make tamales or arepas with corn flour... I think at macro or tesco should sell it.

[Chicog]

Have you got green fingers?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/355305-another-masa-tortillia-thread/

[zippydedodah]

Have you got green fingers?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/355305-another-masa-tortillia-thread/

Wow..what a great thread...thanks for that!

However, i don't have seed stock, nor land to grow my own corn and from reading the thread, does not seem like anyone ever found a place to source the good products.

Someone here mentions buying corn flour... where can you do that? I have never found the right "corn flour" at Tesco or Yok... do you happen to know the thai name for it ? or have a pic of the product?

and yes, i could use some arepas too! best ones i ever had was when i lived in Columbia... but had other very good ones from Central America too.

[jaideeguy]

I still have some viable 'hickory king dent corn' seeds that is the preferred variety for making authentic masa flour. If anyone has a green thumb, the land and the time, I will offer some for exchange of a little of the harvest. Mid rainy season is the best time to grow. PM if interested...........

[jackbox]

Where did you buy the lime to make the masa dough? I would also like to find a source for corn husks in Thailand (Bangkok would be preferred). I have some masa harina for tortillas coming from iherb.com. Cost me $4.09 plus $4.00 DHL Global Priority shipping (bunch of other stuff ordered with it). Should come soon so I can make tortillas. I had a tortilla press made by a wood craftsman in Bangkok for 300 baht (haven't tested it out yet but it looks good). If you are new to iherb you can get $10 off your first order by using gift code DSF797. Average delivery time to Thailand is two weeks or less.

[BillyBobThai]

I have made it a couple of times here lately. I bought a hand grinder at Makro for 2000 baht. The last time I used popcorn from Tesco and soaked for 24 hr in soda ash after cooking it for 1 hr. I used it to make tamales and they were ok for a first try.

I would like to find some hydrated lime to use next time.

[jaideeguy]

Where did you buy the lime to make the masa dough? I would also like to find a source for corn husks in Thailand (Bangkok would be preferred). I have some masa harina for tortillas coming from iherb.com. Cost me $4.09 plus $4.00 DHL Global Priority shipping (bunch of other stuff ordered with it). Should come soon so I can make tortillas. I had a tortilla press made by a wood craftsman in Bangkok for 300 baht (haven't tested it out yet but it looks good). If you are new to iherb you can get $10 off your first order by using gift code DSF797. Average delivery time to Thailand is two weeks or less.

I've been on the quest for real masa flour for years and was excited when you posted about a source that I had never heard of at a reasonable shipping price, so I went to the site you mentioned and see that it is only 24 oz [680 grams] and at that rate, it gets quite expensive especially when you compare it to the price at amazon.com where you can get 2 kilos for $1.39, but the shipping at amazon kills you.

I made masa myself from imported masa seeds that I grew, harvested, dried then processed into neximalized corn [masa] and used the lime that you can buy from the vendors at the old style public markets where they sell local tobacco and beetle nut lime. worked great and tasted fantastic and authentic, but lots of work doing it on a small scale and that's why I want some masa flour that you just add water to and you get dough for tortillas.

I still have some of the seed that may still be viable if anyone wants some to grow it, you can have some for free.

A word of caution re: hydrated lime.......... I heard or read that you should avoid construction grade as it can have some heavy metals and other toxins. That's why I choose the beetle nut lime as it is simply crushed and ground shells and is pure calcium.

Edited September 16, 2013 by jaideeguy

[jackbox]

Do you know what they call the beetle nut lime in Thai? I can probably find it at Dalat Khlong Toei but will need to be asking for it in Thai. Yes, the Masa is a little expensive but I really want to make my own tortillas and tamales so I decided to give it a go. I tried using corn meal and flour but they did not taste very good. I did not realize at that time that the corn is cooked with lye or lime and processed before being ground. I guess that is why authentic corn tortillas taste so darn good. When I lived in So Cal there was a mexican market that made fresh corn tortillas all day. They had three Mexican ladies with a big pile of masa in front of them forming them by hand and cooking them. I would go and buy a couple of dozen and eat them by myself lickety split.

Where did you buy the lime to make the masa dough? I would also like to find a source for corn husks in Thailand (Bangkok would be preferred). I have some masa harina for tortillas coming from iherb.com. Cost me $4.09 plus $4.00 DHL Global Priority shipping (bunch of other stuff ordered with it). Should come soon so I can make tortillas. I had a tortilla press made by a wood craftsman in Bangkok for 300 baht (haven't tested it out yet but it looks good). If you are new to iherb you can get $10 off your first order by using gift code DSF797. Average delivery time to Thailand is two weeks or less.

I've been on the quest for real masa flour for years and was excited when you posted about a source that I had never heard of at a reasonable shipping price, so I went to the site you mentioned and see that it is only 24 oz [680 grams] and at that rate, it gets quite expensive especially when you compare it to the price at amazon.com where you can get 2 kilos for $1.39, but the shipping at amazon kills you.

I made masa myself from imported masa seeds that I grew, harvested, dried then processed into neximalized corn [masa] and used the lime that you can buy from the vendors at the old style public markets where they sell local tobacco and beetle nut lime. worked great and tasted fantastic and authentic, but lots of work doing it on a small scale and that's why I want some masa flour that you just add water to and you get dough for tortillas.

I still have some of the seed that may still be viable if anyone wants some to grow it, you can have some for free.

A word of caution re: hydrated lime.......... I heard or read that you should avoid construction grade as it can have some heavy metals and other toxins. That's why I choose the beetle nut lime as it is simply crushed and ground shells and is pure calcium.

[jaideeguy]

Wife says the Thai name is 'poon kin maak' and/or 'poon keow'..........pardon my spelling as it is just phonetic. Comes in red or white and I used the white.

[jackbox]

Thanks. Gotta get me some poon.

[daoyai]

I have not known lime for beetle nut to be ground seashells....in my Micronesian island days I remember they made a fire with wood mixed with coral, then after it brned down they piled it up and let the rain wash it for many days to wash away the wood ash, what was left was the lime.

Edited September 16, 2013 by daoyai

[daoyai]

Thanks. Gotta get me some poon.

Yea, if ya cant get fresh tortilla, go for the poon.

[jaideeguy]

important detail to follow is to wash the lime and loose skin off the corn 10 to 15 times, until the water runs clear to remove all traces of the lime. I'll look for the link that I followed and it layed the whole process down in detail.

re: the making of lime....there are many ways to process lime and when you are a beetle nut chewer and don't live close to the sea, you can simply grind most snail shells and you get lime.