Pozol Blanco Tabasqueño

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nonreactive 4-quart pot for nixtamal
• •Molino, hand-crank grain mill, or sturdy food processor
• •Fresh banana leaf for wrapping the masa
• •Jícara or carved gourd bowl for serving
• •Wooden molinillo or whisk for beating

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the nixtamal

   Put the rinsed corn, 2 quarts water, and cal in a nonreactive pot. Stir until the cal dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 45 to 60 minutes, until the skins loosen and the kernels bite tender but still hold their shape. Do not boil it hard. You are preparing corn for masa, not making soup.

2. 2

   Rest and rinse

   Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the corn rest in its cal water for 8 to 12 hours. Drain it, then rinse with several changes of clean water, rubbing the kernels between your hands to loosen the skins. Leave a little skin if your mill can handle it. That is flavor and body, not dirt.

3. 3

   Grind the masa

   Grind the nixtamal through a molino, hand mill, or sturdy food processor until you have a fine, damp masa. It should hold together when pressed in your palm and smell like clean corn, lime mineral, and the comal before tortillas go down. If it crumbles, sprinkle in cold water one tablespoon at a time.

4. 4

   Wrap and ferment

   Shape the masa into two firm balls. Wrap them in the softened banana leaf and set them in a covered clay bowl or glass container at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. One night gives you mild pozol. Two nights gives you the sour Tabasco character. Fermented is not spoiled. It should smell tangy and corny, never rotten.

   In a very hot kitchen, check after 24 hours. If the masa smells harsh or shows fuzzy mold, discard it. Good fermentation smells sour, damp, and alive, not putrid.
5. 5

   Dissolve the masa

   For each serving, break off about 3 ounces fermented masa and put it in a deep bowl or jícara with 1 cup cold drinking water. Work it with your fingers until the masa dissolves completely. Strain only if your grind was coarse. A little body at the bottom is expected. That sediment is part of pozol.

6. 6

   Beat until foamy

   Beat the pozol with a wooden molinillo, whisk, or clean hand until the surface turns pale and foamy. Taste it. Add a pinch of salt if you want the working-day version, or piloncillo syrup if your table drinks it sweet. Serve cold in jícaras. Stir between sips because the corn settles. No me vengas con atajos, that settling is how real pozol behaves.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cal from a Mexican market or tortillería, not hardware lime. Food-grade calcium hydroxide only. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Fresh masa from a tortillería can be used if it is plain nixtamal masa with no salt or preservatives. It is a compromise, not an upgrade, but it lets you make pozol when dried corn and a mill are out of reach.
• •Pozol blanco is not pozole. Pozole is cooked hominy stew. Pozol is masa dissolved cold in water. Confuse them in Tabasco and a señora in the market will correct you before I have to.
• •Chile amashito salt is a Tabasco table companion, not a requirement. Toast a few chiles lightly, crush them with sea salt, and serve a pinch on the side if your family likes that sharp bite.

Advance Preparation

• •The nixtamal can be cooked and rinsed one day before grinding. Keep it refrigerated and grind while still damp.
• •The wrapped masa can ferment for 24 to 48 hours depending on kitchen temperature and desired sourness.
• •Fermented masa keeps refrigerated for 3 days. Dissolve and beat each serving only when you are ready to drink it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 405g)