Re: Mexican Rice

You betcha! Just a cup of the instant masa and 1/2 cup of water is all you need. Let the dough stand a while to absorb the water before you make your tortillas, and have the griddle very HOT! They should get dark spots and puff up! or your griddle is not hot enough.

Smell the masa. If it does not SMELL fresh, don't use it.

Alternatively, make Northern style flour tortillas, incredibly delicious homemade:

2 cups flour (white, wheat or blend)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 cup good quality margarine (traditionals use lard)
about 1/2 c. lukewarm water

more margarine and flour

Combine flour and salt, and rub in the margarine like you are making biscuits (in essence, you are!) Some cooks add baking powder, and I have tried both ways and it really makes NO difference in the outcome so... I leave it out!

Make a well and add water. I use one finger to get the mixing started, then when all the flour is moist (NOT wet), knead it briefly like bread dough to make a coherent soft dough, well blended. It should not be sticky. If it is, sprinkle flour on little at a time and keep kneading til it is nice. If too dry, sprinkle more water in little by little.

Divide the dough in quarters, then divide each quarter in 3 pieces. Make a nice round ball of each, coating lightly with margarine (butter your hands and rub the balls, so they won't stick together). Put them back in the bowl and cover to rest for at least 20 minutes, up to one hour.

Preheat your griddle, again you want a HOT griddle. They should start bubbling up and puffing and getting brown spots very quickly. Be prepared to turn before they burn! Brown the other side lightly (spots), and tuck in a napkin lined skillet or basket and cover.

You can get a rhythm going where you roll while they are cooking, and keep ahead of yourself. I pre-flatten the balls with my hands to make little discs, which makes it easier to roll out a nice circle (more or less) with a rolling pin.

I used to go home with my chicana friend after school in Arizona. Her job was to make all the tortillas for the family -- like 14 kids! Dad had gone off somewhere, and mom was doing a fine job with all the kids' help. Anyhow, she used an enamel washtub to mix the dough, and ended up with an enamel wastub full of flour tortillas for the day! She used the end of a broom handle cut off as a rolling pin. Those were absolutely the best tortillas I ever had! And the Remijios used them as plates for everything you can possibly imagine to eat--one of my faves was potato salad. She and I would sit in the back of our Advanced Spanish class (she and I were the only students!) and eat burritos on her tortillas and I was in burro heaven!

¡Provecho!
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