Nixtamal

What is nixtamal?

Given the difficulty I have of consuming the maize I cultivate, with the hardness in grinding to a fine flour and cooking to a soft enough texture I am going to try using wood ash to nixtamalize the kernels.

Dry maize, boiled in lime (right) and untreated (left). In this case, typical of El Salvador, a pound of maize (454 g) is boiled with a tablespoon of lime (15 mL) for 15 minutes, left to stand for a few hours, and washed with fresh water. The hulls are removed, and the kernels ground into masa. Exact methods vary by use and region.Nixtamalization

How ToNixtamalize With Wood Ash
"Boil for two hours let sit overnight"
By The Sioux Chef AKA Sean Sherman of Owamni Restaurant ✅

• 18th Oct: 12:16 Boiling approx 2.3Lt 'weak' lye and 500g maize

  

• 18th Oct: 12:23 Skins are already 'dissolving' so added another 400g maize. �
• 18th Oct: 12:43 The maize has swollen a lot so not much liquid lye around the kernels: Further the smell is quite nice ~ Maize ~ Nixtamal �
• 18th Oct: 13:06 The maize has swollen so not much liquid lye around the kernels: So 500g was plenty in 2.5Lt
• 18th Oct: 13:16 Added 1Lt water
• 18th Oct: 14:19 Taken of the boil and will let stand overnight.
  

  

  
  The maize of varying types are swollen and more yellow. When cleaned the end product can become'hominy' or 'masa'
• 18th Oct: 17:50 Nearly 4 hours later the maize has all but absorbed the lye and sits in a liquid/syrup which I tasted and it isn't tart or bitter etc. If anything it's OK but my tongue is now a bit rough.
• 19th Oct: 09:10 Drain the nixtamal and rinsed 6 times with some 20Lt. of water.