This vegan masa is for those who follow plant-based diets, or just prefer using olive oil to lard or butter. You may also use this masa to make vegan papusas and tortillas. The results have the same texture and excellent taste. From Tamales: Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals, by Alice Guadalupe Tapp. Reprinted with permission from Ten Speed Press.
Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
2½ pounds stone-ground fresh masa (unprepared)
2 cups vegetable stock
1½ teaspoons salt
2 to 4 tables spoons dried mushroom powder, store-bought or homemade (see note)
Instructions
Pour olive oil into shallow casserole dish, cover, and place in freezer for at least 24 hours. Remove right before using. It should be frozen to the hard stage. The temperature and the dense, solidified consistency help the masa remain light and fluffy during cooking.
Combine the frozen oil and the masa in a mixing bowl and beat together for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the stock a little at a time, then add the salt and mushroom powder and beat until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, or until a pinch of dough floats to the top of a cup of water.
Notes
Making homemade mushroom powder is simple. Place any type of dried mushrooms in a food processor and process into a fine powder.
Recipe by Fit Bottomed Girls at https://fitbottomedgirls.com/2015/02/vegan-tamales-and-nostalgia/