Vegan Masa

Vegan Masa

By Maria Ronquillo from “Let’s Cook Together”

1/2 cup soy margarine, soft
2 cups masa harina for tamales
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp Chicken-Style Seasoning
1 tsp baking powder, aluminum-free (optional)
2 cups warm water

Empty soft soy margarine into bowl and beat for a second. Add masa harina, salt, seasoning, baking powder and mix slightly. Add water a little at a time till to your masa mixture reaches the texture of peanut butter, where it is a little sticky. You do not want your masa to separate from the sides of your bowl like when you make bread. (The masa needs to spread around the in sides of the bowl.) If masa is too sticky, then add a little more masa harina to your mixture and continue to blend until you get the right texture. When masa is ready, then it’s time to start assembling your tamales by spreading 1/3 to1/2 cup of masa on corn husks. To test whether your masa is ready, take ½ tsp of masa and roll it into a ball and drop it in a glass of cold water, if it floats, it’s ready; if not, keep blending masa till test is accomplished. This recipe makes 16 tamales.