Ingredients
The herbs
- 1bundle of horchata lojana herbs
- or a mixture of dried herbs and flowers
- escancel, for the colour
- lemon verbena, lemongrass
- rose petals, chamomile
- mint, borage, malva
- carnation petals, alfalfa
The drink
- 2 litreswater
- 150 gsugar, or to taste
- juice of 2 limes
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- hot in small glasses
- or cold over ice
- extra lime wedges
Directions
- Pick out any obvious stems or debris. Rinse it briefly in cold water. Drain it thoroughly before it goes in. Put the water into a large pot. Bring it up to a rolling boil. Add the herbs to the boiling water.
- Take the pot off the heat immediately. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Let it steep for at least twenty minutes. Some households steep it for an hour.
- Pour it through a fine sieve into a jug. Press the herbs gently against the mesh. Do not press them hard at all.
- Discard all of the spent herbs. Stir the sugar into the warm infusion. Stir until it dissolves completely. Add the pinch of salt as well. Squeeze in all of the lime juice.
- Add it at the end rather than during steeping. Taste it once the lime juice is in. It should be lightly sweet and floral.
- Add more lime if it tastes flat. Serving it hot is the traditional way. Pour it hot into small glasses. It is drunk hot in the Loja climate.
- Let it cool right down completely. Refrigerate it for at least three hours. Serve it over plenty of crushed ice. It keeps four days refrigerated.
Technique
- This drink is entirely unrelated to Spanish tiger nut horchata, Mexican rice horchata or Salvadoran morro horchata; it is a herbal infusion with no seeds at all, and the shared name causes constant confusion.
- The deep pink colour comes from the plants themselves, mainly escancel, Aerva sanguinolenta, with other red flowers adding to it; no colouring is added at any point, and lime juice at the end brightens it further through an acid reaction with the pigments.
- The drink contains a great many different plants, and while most are ordinary culinary herbs, some are not advised in pregnancy and some can interact with medicines, so anyone pregnant or on medication should check first; local claims that it is healthful are traditional attributions rather than evidence.
Substitutions
- A mixture of dried lemon verbena, rose, chamomile, mint and lemongrass approximates a bundle.
- Hibiscus can supply the pink colour where escancel is unavailable.
Variations
- It is drunk hot in Loja and cold over ice elsewhere.
- Every market seller assembles a slightly different bundle.
- Some households steep it for an hour for a stronger infusion.
History
From Loja province, where the herbs are grown and sold in tied bundles at market; unrelated to Spanish rice horchata.
Frequently asked questions
What is Horchata lojana?
Horchata lojana is a drink from Ecuador: deep pink infusion of up to two dozen dried Andean herbs and flowers. From Loja province, where the herbs are grown and sold in tied bundles at market; unrelated to Spanish rice horchata.
How long does Horchata lojana take to make?
Horchata lojana takes 15 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Horchata lojana?
Yes, within limits. A mixture of dried lemon verbena, rose, chamomile, mint and lemongrass approximates a bundle. Hibiscus can supply the pink colour where escancel is unavailable.
What is the most important thing to get right in Horchata lojana?
Pour it through a fine sieve into a jug. Press the herbs gently against the mesh. Do not press them hard at all.
