a pound of masa
home ec and corn
I have a crippling Youtube addiction, which is why I’ve been so bad at getting out posts over the past summer, among them being beautiful outside and wanting to take advantage. Regardless, I tend to watch many different personalities talk about food, comedy and infrastructure (where are my City Nerds at?). One specific youtuber I enjoy watching is Internet Shaquille. He doesn’t just make cooking accessible for a wider audience; he brings this level of “dude, don’t overthink it” energy to his way of teaching certain things that excite me. It makes me realize I’m not alone in how I cook or think about the kitchen. I don’t really cook from recipes, and I’ve always been a little self-conscious about that, like it makes me seem like a snob.
Anyway, he had talked about home economics in his Zen and the Art of Bean Cookery, where he had mentioned using old jus from his tinga taco recipes as the potential brothy base. I do this all the time with old salsas I have left over, or bones from a rotisserie chicken and turn that into even the simplest broth many times. I guess I’ve always thought of it as a practical way to cook and gave me a level of inventiveness. Layering flavors throughout the week feels like a long conversation with the food itself, still tasting traces of Saturday’s chicken when you’re sipping broth on Wednesday.
That idea, home economics, crashed right into real life during my bachelor party in one of my favorite corners of Chicago: Pilsen.
utility tacos
I’ve been to Popocatepetl countless times since getting a tortilla press as a gift. I had already gotten some utility ribeyes from a butcher down in Back of the Yards (home of Mez) and wanted to get them dry brined for a few hours to tenderize them before my brother-in-law got to Chicago.
At Popocatepetl, I asked for a pound of fresh masa and was blown away by how much I got for less than a dollar. I was glad to have cash on me and happy to tip 40 percent.
We stopped by a bottle shop I’d been meaning to check out, grabbed a few great beers, and got home to cook. He showed me his reverse-sear technique, which I usually do sous vide, and I became an instant fan. We used a pan as a comal and somehow ended up with the perfect amount of tacos and steak. A good Thursday night football game, cold beers, and hot tortillas was exactly what I needed before my bachelor weekend.
home ec
Don’t think I’m going to tell you what happened at said bachelor party, but I had definitively forgotten that I had a hunk of masa in the fridge. When I got home with sleep in my eyes, and realized what was once warm and pleasantly aromatic dough had turned to a cold and expiring timebomb wrapped in wet plastic. I considered making tacos again, but there were many other things I had wanted to make with fresh masa in the house. I love using instant masa, but there is something different about the nixtamalized, freshly ground stuff that doesn’t quite translate. I set about determining what I wanted to make with a half pound of masa.
Except when I weighed it, there was almost 700 grams left…or 1.5 pounds. Had it multiplied? Did I say a kilo instead of a pound? I was generally blown away by how much product I was left with and now could easily make two projects. Masa pancakes were definitely on the list as it’s always been a sneaky item on menus for me. I don’t brunch often, but when I do, I must get masa pancakes.
The second was on the backburner of projects I’ve wanted to play with. One of my old coworkers from Empirical Spirits had gotten some masa from Hija de Sanchez and wanted to ferment it. Working in the R&D department didn’t leave you with many options, so rather than just making a simple base spirit with it, he went with the sourdough beverage of masa: tejuino.
Both recipes retain that warm, earthy depth of masa but evolve it in different directions: tejuino with its lactic, citric funk, and masa pancakes with that velvety, sticky texture and corn chip finish.
“waste is just a lack of imagination”
Before food science school, I staged in Edinburgh, where visiting chefs signed the kitchen wall. One quote that always stuck with me was from Douglas McMaster: “Waste is just a failure of imagination.”
He’s the king of using every part of what comes into his kitchen. Tossing something in the bin isn’t just material waste; it’s a missed chance to think creatively. It probably also means food has gotten too cheap if we can afford to let it spoil or toss the ugly bits. I’m guilty of that too, but when you have time or a spark of curiosity, it’s worth playing with your food.
The kilo of masa gave me this time to consider again how I approach cooking more specifically. Is it simply a task to be finished, or is it an ongoing discussion with an ingredient?
Old masa gave me a great dinner with my future brother-in-law, and let me have a good conversation around cooking. When I came home it kept the conversation going with masa pancakes with cinnamon and boiled cider that I could share with his sister, my fiancée.
Look, for $0.60, there wasn’t going to be any crying over simply kicking open the trash can and tossing this out. But I got to dip back into the memories I had in Copenhagen that I could share with Fiona, and also bring my brunch staple in without having to leave home. Let your imagination flourish, and practice good home economics.
Recipes
Masa Pancakes
Ingredients
375 g masa
110 g milk, buttermilk, or water
100 g egg (2 large eggs)
20 g sugar (I omitted for savory option)
8 g baking powder (~2 tsp)
4 g salt
Method
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add masa and mix until smooth. Adjust texture with more milk if needed (should be thick but pourable).
Heat a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Spoon ~70–80 g batter per pancake. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
Tejuino
Ingredients
375 g masa (slightly old is great)
1500 g water, divided
120 g piloncillo or dark brown sugar
2 g salt
1 small cinnamon stick (about 3 g) while simmering
Method
Blend: Combine masa + 750 g of the water in a blender and blend until smooth.
Cook: Pour into a pot with the remaining 750 g water, sugar, and salt.
Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly (thin cream consistency).
Cool & Ferment: Let cool to room temperature. Pour into a large jar or pitcher, cover loosely, and let sit 24-48 hours at room temp.
Serve: Chill, stir or strain, and serve over ice with lime juice and a pinch of salt.