Ingredients
Base
- 500 gdried purple maize, cobs and kernels
- 3 litreswater
- the skin and core of 1 pineapple
- 1quince, quartered, optional
- 6cloves
- 3cinnamon sticks
To finish
- 200 gsugar
- juice of 3 limes
To serve
- finely chopped apple
- ice
Directions
- Rinse the purple maize. Use the whole cobs if you have them, snapped in half, because most of the colour lives in the cob rather than in the kernels.
- Put the maize, pineapple skin and core, quince, cloves and cinnamon into the water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the liquid has turned a deep inky purple.
- Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids, then discard them. The corn itself is not eaten.
- Cool the liquid completely before you sweeten it. Sugar dissolved into hot chicha reads flatter, and judging sweetness while it is warm leads to over-sweetening every time.
- Stir in the sugar, then the lime juice.
- Add the lime last and taste as you go, because its acid also shifts the colour and too much takes the drink from purple towards red.
- Chill thoroughly and serve very cold over ice, with a spoonful of finely chopped apple in each glass.
Technique
- Cobs for colour, lime last, sweeten cold. Three small things that together make the difference.
- The maíz morado landrace has been grown in Peru since well before the Inca, and there is no substitute for it.
- It keeps four or five days in the refrigerator and the colour deepens rather than fading.
Substitutions
- Dried purple maize is sold in Latin American grocers and online, and nothing else will do the job.
- Apple in place of quince, which is milder but works.
Variations
- Mazamorra morada, the same base thickened with sweet potato starch into a pudding.
- With extra pineapple for a fruitier drink.
- With a measure of pisco, which turns it into a chicha sour.
History
Purple maize boiled with pineapple peel, clove and cinnamon, then limed; the maiz morado landrace has been grown in Peru since pre-Inca times.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chicha morada?
Chicha morada is a drink from Peru: purple corn simmered with pineapple, spices and lime; everyday refresher. Purple maize boiled with pineapple peel, clove and cinnamon, then limed; the maiz morado landrace has been grown in Peru since pre-Inca times.
How long does Chicha morada take to make?
Chicha morada takes 15 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 3 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chicha morada?
Yes, within limits. Dried purple maize is sold in Latin American grocers and online, and nothing else will do the job. Apple in place of quince, which is milder but works.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chicha morada?
Rinse the purple maize. Use the whole cobs if you have them, snapped in half, because most of the colour lives in the cob rather than in the kernels.
