Canjica

Ingredients

Corn

• 500 gdried white hominy
• 2 litreswater
• 4cinnamon sticks
• 6cloves

To finish

• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 400 gsweetened condensed milk
• 500 mlwhole milk
• 100 gsugar, to taste
• a pinch of salt

To serve

• ground cinnamon
• roasted peanuts
• grated coconut

Directions

1. Soak the hominy overnight in plenty of cold water, for at least 12 hours. Skipping the soak adds well over an hour to the cooking and still leaves hard centres in some of the kernels.
2. Drain, cover with the 2 litres of fresh water, and add the cinnamon sticks and cloves.
3. Simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, topping up with hot water as needed, until the kernels are soft and just beginning to split but still whole. In a pressure cooker this takes about 30 minutes.
4. Do not add the milk or the sugar before the corn is soft. Both sugar and dairy slow the softening considerably, and corn that has not softened by the time they go in never will.
5. Once the kernels are tender, stir in the whole milk, coconut milk and condensed milk and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring often so the bottom does not catch and scorch.
6. Sweeten with sugar to taste and add a pinch of salt, which sharpens the whole pot and stops it tasting flat.
7. Let it stand off the heat for 15 minutes. It thickens noticeably as it cools, so leave it looser than you intend to serve it.
8. Serve warm in bowls, dusted with ground cinnamon and scattered with peanuts and grated coconut.
9. It is eaten at the June festivals of Saint John, beside bonfires and mugs of quentão, and it is always made in an enormous pot.

Technique

• Soften first, sweeten afterwards. This is the sequence people get wrong and it cannot be corrected later.
• It thickens a great deal overnight. Loosen it with milk rather than water when reheating.
• The same dish is called mungunzá in the northeast, and arguments about the two names are entirely regional.

Substitutions

• Tinned hominy, already cooked, which takes you straight to the milk stage.
• Evaporated milk with extra sugar in place of condensed milk.

Variations

• Canjica preta, made with black corn.
• With peanuts blended into the milk for a thicker, nuttier pot.
• With a splash of cachaça stirred in at the end, for the adults at the festa.

History

Hominy simmered in sweet milk with coconut and cinnamon, eaten at the June festivals of Saint John.

Frequently asked questions

What is Canjica?

Canjica is a dessert from Brazil: white corn simmered with coconut milk and cinnamon; June festivals. Hominy simmered in sweet milk with coconut and cinnamon, eaten at the June festivals of Saint John.

How long does Canjica take to make?

Canjica takes 10 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 2 hr 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Canjica?

Yes, within limits. Tinned hominy, already cooked, which takes you straight to the milk stage. Evaporated milk with extra sugar in place of condensed milk.

What is the most important thing to get right in Canjica?

Do not add the milk or the sugar before the corn is soft. Both sugar and dairy slow the softening considerably, and corn that has not softened by the time they go in never will.