You can make your own corn tortillas at home, in Thailand!

[quidnunc]

Any further developments about tortilla making or masa acquisition?

In the frozen food section of Makro masa from Danita is being sold. I think the price was 1 kilo for 130 baht.

[Jimmyd]

Any further developments about tortilla making or masa acquisition?

In the frozen food section of Makro masa from Danita is being sold. I think the price was 1 kilo for 130 baht.

One of the ingredients listed is cheese (mozzerella?). Go figure.

[Pla shado]

One of the ingredients listed is cheese (mozzerella?). Go figure.

_{I've not seen frozen Danita masa paste at Makro but I've purchased El Charro masa paste (corn paste) there. There is a recipe on the front of the package for quesadillas that includes mozzarella cheese. The El Charro frozen masa paste is 100% corn. Besides tortillas I use it make tamales. The frozen masa paste is quite similar to the fresh masa that I used buy in Texas. It produces excellent tamales.}

[opporna]

I've tried the above frozen masa, and I've had trouble forming it into tortillas. It doesn't want to stick together. Has anyone had success with it who can share tips?

[Pla shado]

I've tried the above frozen masa, and I've had trouble forming it into tortillas. It doesn't want to stick together. Has anyone had success with it who can share tips?

Yes, the frozen masa can be a little crumbly. I don't have a tortilla press so what I do is put the masa in large plastic bowl and try to roll out a ball of masa with my hands about the size of a ping pong ball. I'll add a bit of water and stir into the masa as necessary to get a ball that holds together nicely. I then take two pie pans (or something similar) that nest together. I put a piece of wax paper (parchment paper or even cling film will work) on the bottom pan, then place the masa ball in the center of the paper, place another piece of wax paper on top of the masa ball, then the second pie pan on top of that. I put the nested pans on the kitchen floor and then stand on the top pie pan to press out the tortilla. It's really not as cumbersome as it sounds. You can also press down on the sides of the top pan with your hands and sort of turn it from side to side to get an even thickness tortilla.

If rolling out the tortilla with a rolling pin, using the top and bottom wax paper or parchment also helps.

The next time I make a trip to the States I'll pick a tortilla press to bring back. I might even try to find someone locally who is willing to make one for me. You really just need a press that you can get good leverage on. They can be made from metal or wood.

[opporna]

I actually have a tortilla press, and using plastic sheets the masa sticks to the sheets. I've tried adding water as well to get the masa to stick together. Maybe I'll try wax paper.

The only thing I've been able to get to work so far is to hand form the tortillas, but that's not easy.

[Pla shado]

Hope the wax paper works for you. Of the three, wax paper, parchment or cling film, the plastic film is my last choice for this sort of application. Baking parchment should work okay as well. I've had satisfactory results using the wax paper on the bottom and top. After getting the masa to the consistency you think is right, chilling it in the fridge for a little while may also help to prevent sticking. You can form the masa balls first and then put them in to cool before pressing.

Another thought, if you haven't tried it already; you might try splitting a large plastic zip lock storage bag and putting the masa between the two sheets.

[opporna]

Hope the wax paper works for you. Of the three, wax paper, parchment or cling film, the plastic film is my last choice for this sort of application. Baking parchment should work okay as well. I've had satisfactory results using the wax paper on the bottom and top. After getting the masa to the consistency you think is right, chilling it in the fridge for a little while may also help to prevent sticking. You can form the masa balls first and then put them in to cool before pressing.

Another thought, if you haven't tried it already; you might try splitting a large plastic zip lock storage bag and putting the masa between the two sheets.

I've tried the plastic ziplock, no luck. I'll get some wax paper soon.