Jessica Gorton wrote:Does anyone know if you can nixtamalize cornmeal after it has already been ground and stored? I make a lot of polenta for my family, and would like to incorporate the benefits of this process - via wood ash, since we have that in abundance.
Yes! Some Native American tribes in the US do this. In my limited experience, Navajo and Hopi recipes usually call for juniper ashes, but I seem to recall that there are other tribes that have used other ashes. Apparently juniper ashes
have calcium in them. Good to know for vegans and people who are lactose-intolerant!
Here are a few Navajo recipes:
Blue corn mush -- In this recipe, the ratio is 1 teaspoon ash to 1 cup cornmeal.
A few Navajo recipes -- You might need to zoom in to read the recipes. A few of the recipes call for juniper ashes. One of those recipes doesn't give a specific amount, but for the other two, the ratio is 1
tablespoon ash to 1 cup cornmeal.
Stew and dumplings -- This recipe also has a ratio of 1 tablespoon ash to 1 cup cornmeal.
Blue corn tortillas* -- This recipe calls for only 1 teaspon ashes per 4 cups cornmeal. (This link also has a bunch of other recipes, but those don't call for ashes.)
As far as general cooking techniques, here's a quote from that last link:
"Juniper Ash is added to a recipe by mixing it in very hot water then strained before it is added to the dough or it can be added directly to the dough as a dry ingredient."
None of the above recipes require you to soak the cornmeal with the ashes, but these are just a few recipes from one tribe. Things might be different in other places and other cultures.
I hope this is helpful, even if it's almost 9 years late!
*This recipe is different from Mesoamerican tortilla recipes, which nitxamalize with whole kernels.
