Ingredients
Horchata
- 250 gdried chufas (tiger nuts)
- 1.2 litrescold water, plus more for soaking
- 120 gsugar, or to taste
- 1strip lemon zest, no pith
- ½ tspground cinnamon (optional)
To serve
- fartons or a soft sweet bun
Directions
- Rinse the chufas thoroughly under running water, rubbing them together — they are tubers and arrive with grit in their wrinkles. Discard any that are soft or smell musty.
- Soak them in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours, in the fridge in warm weather. They should swell and go from hard to just yielding under a thumbnail.
- Drain, rinse again, and blend with 400 ml of the fresh cold water until you have a coarse white paste. Work in batches and give it several minutes: the finer the grind, the more you extract.
- Add the remaining 800 ml of water, stir well, and leave to stand for an hour so the flavour draws out.
- Strain through a cloth or a fine bag, gathering it up and wringing hard until the pulp is nearly dry. This is where the yield is, and a lazy squeeze leaves half the horchata behind.
- Stir in the sugar and lemon zest until dissolved, chill thoroughly, and remove the zest before serving. Stir again before pouring — it settles, and that is normal.
Technique
- Never heat it. Horchata de chufa is a raw infusion and warming it turns the starch claggy and dulls the flavour.
- It is not shelf-stable. Keep it refrigerated and drink it within two days; it is traditionally made fresh each morning for exactly this reason.
- The settling is not a fault. Spanish horchaterías serve it stirred or semi-frozen as a granizado.
Substitutions
- Ready-ground chufa flour shortens the soak but gives a thinner, less aromatic drink.
- Cinnamon is common but is not universal in Valencia; the purist version is chufa, water, sugar and lemon.
Variations
- Valencian horchata is made from tiger nuts and is protected by its own designation of origin, grown around Alboraya. Mexican horchata is a rice drink — the same name, a different plant.
History
Valencian milk of chufa tiger nuts, a crop introduced by the Moors and grown around Alboraya; protected by its own designation of origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Horchata?
Horchata is a drink from Spain: chilled Valencian tiger-nut milk, dunked with fartons. Valencian milk of chufa tiger nuts, a crop introduced by the Moors and grown around Alboraya; protected by its own designation of origin.
How long does Horchata take to make?
Horchata takes 20 min plus soaking overnight of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 1.5 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Horchata?
Yes, within limits. Ready-ground chufa flour shortens the soak but gives a thinner, less aromatic drink. Cinnamon is common but is not universal in Valencia; the purist version is chufa, water, sugar and lemon.
What is the most important thing to get right in Horchata?
Never heat it. Horchata de chufa is a raw infusion and warming it turns the starch claggy and dulls the flavour.
