Masa Harina Pancakes

Corn is pretty popular as a food but what makes Masa Harina different? Traditionally eaten by Mexican Indians after being nixtamalized (boiled with an alkaline chemical that changes both its physical and chemical structure.[1] As Dr. Ray Peat reported;

"In 1979 some of my students in Mexico wanted a project to do in the lab. Since several traditional foods are made with corn that has been boiled in alkali, I thought it would be valuable to see whether this treatment reduced the ability of the starch grains to be persorbed. For breakfast one day, they ate only atole, tamales, and tortillas, all made from the alkali treated corn. None of the students could find any starch grains after centrifuging their blood and urine. That led me to substitute those foods whenever possible for other starches."[2]

References:

1. Cerqueira MT, Fry MM, Connor WE. The food and nutrient intakes of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 Apr;32(4):905-15. PMID: 433816.
2. http://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/carrageenan.shtml

Ingredients

• 75g Masa Harina
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 200ml whole milk
• 75ml water
• 50g refined coconut butter​ (you can use normal butter)
• 50-100g of sugar depending on how sweet you'd like them. 

Makes around 6-8 pancakes

Perfect with squeezed orange juice and either maple syrup or sugar sprinkled on top. A personal favourite is strained Greek yogurt or ice cream with stewed apple.

1. Place the masa harina, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl, making a well in which you break the the eggs into. Scramble the mix and then add both the milk and water.
2. Mix till you have a smooth batter.
3. Use 2 tbsp of butter in the batter and continue to mix.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium to high heat. Drizzle a little melted butter in the pan before adding 2 tbsp batter. Circle it round so that the batter spreads evenly.
5. Cook till golden brown underneath before flipping and cooking the other side.
6. Repeat as desired or store the batter in the fridge for use another day.
7. Add your toppings and enjoy.