Tried my mom's way vs my aunt's way for the family tamales

My mom always uses store bought masa harina but my aunt in San Antonio grinds her own corn for the dough. Made both last weekend and the homemade masa was way softer and held the filling better. Anyone else have a family recipe where one small change makes a huge difference?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

alexj995mo ago

Totally believe that about the masa. My grandma always said the corn oil you use makes or breaks it too. She used this specific kind from a little mercado and it gave the dough this crazy rich flavor. Swapping that out for regular veg oil made them taste totally flat.

5

lunah865mo ago

Yeah, @alexj99, it's like the soul of the tamal is in that one ingredient.

1

terry_torres405mo ago

Know exactly what you mean about the corn oil. My tia swears by this one specific lard from a butcher shop near her, not the stuff in the plastic tub. The first time I used the grocery store kind, the masa was weird and crumbly, like it just wouldn't hold together right. It's wild how one ingredient can change the whole texture.

5