Ingredients
The seeds
- 200 gmorro seeds
- calabash tree seeds
- or 200 g bought horchata powder
To toast with
- 50 gsesame seeds
- 50 gpeanuts
- 50 gpumpkin seeds
- 50 grice
- 50 gcacao beans or nibs
- 2cinnamon sticks
- 6cloves
- 4allspice berries
- 1star anise
- a pinch of nutmeg
To finish
- 1.5 litreswater
- 500 mlmilk
- 200 gsugar, or to taste
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoonvanilla
To serve
- plenty of ice
- ground cinnamon, to dust
Directions
- Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium heat. Toast each ingredient separately. Sesame takes a minute and peanuts take five.
- Toast each one and set it aside to cool. Judging each toast takes attention. Take each off before anything blackens. Toasting the spices takes care.
- Warm the whole spices for one minute only. They should smell strong and no more. Let everything cool completely first. Warm seeds clog a grinder and go oily. Grind everything together as finely as you can. It should be a fine powder throughout.
- Sieve it and regrind anything left behind. It keeps a month in a cool dark place. Put the water into a large jug. Whisk in about six tablespoons of the powder.
- Whisk it until there are no lumps. Let it stand for twenty minutes. Add the milk to the jug as well.
- Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the pinch of salt and the vanilla. Taste it and adjust the sweetness. It should be sweet and clearly spiced.
- Stir the jug well before pouring. Fill glasses with plenty of ice. Pour the horchata over all the ice. Dust ground cinnamon over the top. It keeps three days refrigerated. Stir it well each time before pouring.
Technique
- Horchata names several unrelated drinks: Spanish horchata is made from tiger nuts, Mexican horchata from rice and cinnamon, and Salvadoran horchata from morro seed; they share a name and very little else.
- Morro is the seed of the calabash tree, Crescentia alata, whose hard gourd shells are made into bowls and rattles; the seeds are cleaned, dried and toasted, and taste nutty and slightly bitter, closer to sesame than to rice.
- Every ingredient must be toasted separately, since sesame takes a minute and peanuts take five, and toasting them together burns some while leaving others raw.
Substitutions
- Ready-ground horchata powder is widely sold and is what most Salvadoran households now use.
- Water alone can replace the milk for a lighter drink.
Variations
- Every household has its own proportions of seeds and spices.
- Some make it with water alone and others with a good deal of milk.
- Straining gives a smoother drink and leaving it unstrained a thicker one.
History
Made from ground morro, the calabash tree seed, with sesame, cacao and spices; it is quite unlike Mexico’s rice horchata.
Frequently asked questions
What is Horchata de morro?
Horchata de morro is a drink from El Salvador: ground morro-seed drink with spices and milk. Made from ground morro, the calabash tree seed, with sesame, cacao and spices; it is quite unlike Mexico’s rice horchata.
How long does Horchata de morro take to make?
Horchata de morro takes 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 2 litres. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Horchata de morro?
Yes, within limits. Ready-ground horchata powder is widely sold and is what most Salvadoran households now use. Water alone can replace the milk for a lighter drink.
What is the most important thing to get right in Horchata de morro?
Warm the whole spices for one minute only. They should smell strong and no more. Let everything cool completely first. Warm seeds clog a grinder and go oily. Grind everything together as finely as you can. It should be a fine powder throughout.
