Champurrado
The chocolate cousin of atole. Masa harina, milk, piloncillo, cinnamon and a generous bar of Mexican chocolate, whisked over a low heat until thick and silky. The drink of cold mornings, Día de los Muertos vigils, and any night that calls for hot chocolate with a backbone.
Overview
Masa harina slaked with water, then simmered into a milk-and-piloncillo base scented with a cinnamon stick. A bar of Mexican chocolate (the rustic, slightly grainy kind, scented with cinnamon and almond) goes in to melt and is whisked through. The result is hot chocolate with body, sweetness layered over a faint roasted-corn note. Pour into mugs and dip a churro or a piece of pan de muerto.
Ingredients
- 60 g masa harina
- 250 ml water (cold)
- 750 ml whole milk
- 90 g Mexican chocolate (a Abuelita or Ibarra tablet, chopped)
- 60 g piloncillo (or 50 g soft dark brown sugar)
- 1 cinnamon stick (Mexican canela if you have it)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
Method
Stage 1 - Slake the masa
- Tip the masa harina into a medium saucepan. Pour in the cold water and whisk smooth, off the heat. The mixture should look like single cream with no lumps.
Stage 2 - Build the base
- Add the milk, piloncillo, cinnamon stick and salt. Set over a medium-low heat.
- Whisk constantly for 6-8 minutes as it warms. The piloncillo will melt and the milk will steam; do not let it boil hard or the milk catches on the bottom.
Stage 3 - Add the chocolate
- Drop the chopped Mexican chocolate into the pan. Whisk steadily for 4-5 minutes as it melts into the base. The mixture goes from milky to deep brown.
- Continue to whisk on low for another 10 minutes. The masa thickens the drink to the consistency of warm pouring custard; the chocolate becomes silky. A traditional cook uses a molinillo (a wooden whisk twirled between the palms) to froth the top; a regular whisk is fine.
- Stir in the vanilla off the heat. Fish out the cinnamon stick.
Stage 4 - Serve
- Pour into warmed mugs while it is properly hot. The drink keeps thickening as it cools.
Notes
- Mexican chocolate (Ibarra, Abuelita, Taza if you can find it) is dark, grainy with sugar, and scented with cinnamon. Plain dark chocolate plus an extra ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 30 g more sugar is a passable substitute but lacks the characteristic graininess.
- For a thinner drink, use 500 ml milk and 500 ml water and reduce the masa harina to 50 g.
- A shot of brandy or ancho-chilli liqueur stirred into the mug at the end is for adults only.
Serving
In mugs alongside churros, pan de muerto, or tamales. On the Día de los Muertos altar, in a small cup beside a candle and a marigold.
Storage
Best fresh. Keeps in the fridge for 2 days; reheat slowly with a splash of milk to loosen.
Recipes mentioned here
Atole
A pre-Hispanic drink that pre-dates Spanish dairy and chocolate by centuries: masa harina, water, and a sweetener. The modern household version uses milk for richness, piloncillo for the smoky-caramel sweetness, a cinnamon stick for warmth and vanilla for the perfume. Whisked over a low heat until the masa thickens the liquid to the consistency of warm pouring custard. Served in mugs, drunk hot.
Pan de Muerto
A rich yeasted dough enriched with butter, eggs and sugar, perfumed with orange zest, anise seed and a splash of orange-flower water. The dough is divided: a large ball for the body, four thin strips rolled to look like crossed bones, and a small ball for the centre. After a second rise it goes into a hot oven, then brushed with melted butter and rolled in sugar while still warm. The crust is golden, the crumb is soft and pulls apart in tender threads.
More like this
Atole
A pre-Hispanic drink that pre-dates Spanish dairy and chocolate by centuries: masa harina, water, and a sweetener. The modern household version uses milk for richness, piloncillo for the smoky-caramel sweetness, a cinnamon stick for warmth and vanilla for the perfume. Whisked over a low heat until the masa thickens the liquid to the consistency of warm pouring custard. Served in mugs, drunk hot.
Churros Mexicanos
A choux-like dough cooks on the stovetop: water, butter, sugar, salt and a touch of vanilla bring to a boil; flour is dumped in all at once; cooked for 2 minutes stirring vigorously until the dough comes together as a ball that pulls away from the pan. Cooled slightly, eggs whisk in one at a time to a smooth thick pipe-able dough. Transferred to a piping bag with a star nozzle (1 ½ cm star tip). Heat oil to 175°C. Pipe directly into the oil, cutting each churro to 12-15 cm length with scissors. Fry for 90 seconds per side until amber. Drain on paper. Roll immediately in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm with hot chocolate.
Flan Mexicano
Caramel cooks dry: sugar melts in a hot pan to a dark amber syrup; poured into a 22 cm round cake tin (or 8 individual ramekins) where it solidifies. Custard: eggs blend with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla and a pinch of salt (no fresh cream, the milk trio is what makes Mexican flan distinct). Strained for smoothness; poured over the set caramel; baked in a water bath at 160°C for 60-75 minutes until just set but with the slightest jiggle in the centre. Cooled fully; refrigerated overnight. Inverted onto a plate the next day; the caramel pools around the dome.
Guacamole
Avocados halve, scoop out, mash chunky (not smooth, texture matters). Onion finely chops, jalapeño deseeds and chops, coriander chops. Lime juice, salt, mix. Eat immediately or press cling film flat onto the surface to slow oxidation.