Nixtamalization: Am I doing it right?
It's been a few years since I nixtamalizated the last time with the help of my Chilean friend. Now I'm on my own and due to several contradicting information on the internet a little lost. Maybe someone can advice me on what and if I did something wrong.
For tonight I would like to prepare Polenta and do Nixtamalization with the flour before. I got pure calcium hydroxide from the pharmacy and used the following recipe:
- 250g Polenta Flour
- 1l Warm Water
- 1 stacked Tea Spoon of Calcium Hydroxide
First I dissolved the Ca(OH)2 in the water and then added the polenta flour in the legía, stirring gently. Now, after 30 minutes there is a white layer on the flour (picture 2). The scent of it is really nice (very corny).
Ideally I'd wash it out tonight (after around 8h) and boil it.
As there are several recipes on how to do the Nixtamalization, I'm not sure if what I did is correct (I'm very careful. Some suggested to use a whole cup of Ca(OH)2 for two cups of corn - that's probably too much). Maybe someone can answer my questions:
- Are the amounts correct?
- Is it correct I'm not boiling the polenta in the legía?
- What is that white layer on my polenta?
- I haven't read many articles on nixtamalizating polenta flour. Has anyone ever tried that?
- Should I stir it once in a while or just leave it?
- I won't be able to eat the whole 250g of Polenta tonight. How to store it? Keep it in the legía or wash the whole and keep the wet polenta?
Pictures about "Nixtamalization: Am I doing it right?"
How do you do nixtamalization?
Nixtamalizing dried corn kernels is quite easy to do at home. You measure the corn, calcium hydroxide, and water; boil; let it sit; then drain and rinse the corn. This corn, now called nixtamal, is good to go for grinding into a paste/dough or \u201cmasa\u201d for tortillas or tamales, or for using whole in stews like posole.What are the benefits of nixtamalization?
Nixtamalized maize has several benefits over unprocessed grain: It is more easily ground, its nutritional value is increased, flavor and aroma are improved, and mycotoxins are reduced by up to 97%\u2013100% (for aflatoxins).Does sweet corn need to be nixtamalized?
Corn is nixtamalized to aid with digestion/absorption of nutrients. This was done for many generations of native populations in North, South and Central America using lye or lime (wood ash, limestone, or lime water was often incorporated depending on the region).Does all corn need to be nixtamalized?
Keep in mind that while any dried corn can be nixtamalized, not any dried corn makes good masa dough. More on that later. But if you just want corn in a stew or soup or whatever that tastes better than regular ole' corn, any field corn will work.What is Nixtamalization?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: olia danilevich, olia danilevich, Yan Krukov, RODNAE Productions