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Harinilla, a special type of blue cornmeal, is used in Mexican cuisine to make tamales, tortilla chips, and as a thickening agent. It has a unique flavor and is made by soaking dried blue corn kernels with lime. It can be found in Mexican and South American grocery stores or ordered online.
If you happen to look at your tortilla chip and notice it’s blue, it’s most likely made from a special type of blue cornmeal known as harinilla or harina azul. This is not the same type of blue cornmeal which has the gritty texture of regular cornmeal. The grind is much finer and goes through a special process to produce harinilla
Harinilla has a special flavor caused by soaking dried blue corn kernels with lime or calcium hydroxide. This soaking process causes the kernel of corn to expand so that the hulls loosen and separate from inside the kernels. The resulting flour may also be called hominy, but harinilla and its companion, masa harina, made from yellow or white corn, are slightly different. Hominy is often made with other solutions or chemicals with alkaline properties. Traditional Harinilla uses only lime in the process.
Harinilla and Masa Harina are staples in Mexican cuisine. They are used to make the outer coating of tamales, to make tortilla chips, and are often added as a thickening agent to soups and stews. While you can substitute regular yellow or blue cornmeal in recipes that call for harinilla, you must grind the flour first to produce a finer grind. This can be accomplished by using a fairly sturdy blender, food processor, or even a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding. You don’t want to use a grinder where you regularly grind the beans, as some of the oils from the beans will remain in the grinder and result in coffee flavored flour.
When you buy this type of flour, the color can appear light blue to grayish. As it cooks it will turn a deeper blue. Cooking with it can be fascinating and extremely exciting for children who love colorful food. Adding harinilla to cornbread or using it to make hominy grains can make these foods quite appealing and a nice change to your usual meals.
The best place to find this specialty flour if you live in the United States is in Mexican and South American grocery stores. In some areas with large Mexican immigrant populations, you may also find it carried in local grocery stores. Just remember not to confuse this flour with blue cornmeal or cornmeal. The coarser grinding of cornmeal can change the texture and cooking times of the food if it is replaced. For real, look for finely ground cornmeal. If you haven’t had any luck finding it near your home, you can order it on the Internet from several sites.
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