How to Nixtamalize Corn for Tortillas, Tamales, Posole and More
Nixtamal is corn that has been treated with calcium hydroxide through boiling and soaking. The nixtamalized corn becomes softer and super flavorful, and when ground, the masa or dough has nice binding properties making fantastic corn tortillas or tamales. In its whole kernel form, nixtamal is also called hominy, and when made fresh, it’s superb in flavor, aroma, and texture. Perfect for the Mexican stew posole.
Servings Nixtamal for 12-18 tortillas or 1 large pot of posole
Prep Time Baking Time Wait Time Total Time
Ingredients
10 minutes
1 hour, 30 minutes 10 hours
1 hour, 40 minutes
• 500 grams field corn, heirloom blue bolita corn (3 cups) • 5 grams chef grade calcium hydroxide (1 1⁄2 tsp)
• ~2.5 quarts water (2.4 liters or 80 ounces)
• additional water for rinsing
Instructions
Combine the water, corn kernels, and calcium hydroxide in a large non-reactive pot (stainless steel). The water should be a couple of inches higher than the level of the corn.
Cover and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about an hour, depending on the corn kernel size. I leave the lid on, but this isn’t required.
The boiling period is over when you can easily break apart a corn kernel with your thumbnail and less than half of the inside is opaque or powdery looking. Do not drain.
Leave the corn to soak in the liquid for 8-12 hours.
Strain out the liquid and rinse the corn with fresh water, letting some of the corn pericarp (skin) wash
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away. Rub gently, but don’t wash off all the soft exterior of the kernels. The inside of a kernel after the long soak will have even less of an opaque area.
The nixtamalized corn is now ready to grind into masa or add whole to a stew, where it will need at least 1 hour more boiling to be soft enough to enjoy.