Ingredients
Maize
- 500 gcracked white maize, maiz pelado or mote
- water, for soaking
To cook
- 3 litreswater
- 2cinnamon sticks
- 6whole cloves
- a pinch of salt
To sweeten
- 200 gsugar, or a piece of chancaca
- more water, to thin as needed
To serve
- ground cinnamon, for dusting
Directions
- Put the maize in a large bowl and cover it deeply with water. It swells to more than twice its dry volume. Leave it on the counter overnight, or longer in cold weather. Drain it the following morning and rinse it well. Pick out any dark or damaged kernels that you find. Unsoaked maize takes many hours to soften properly.
- Put the drained maize into a large heavy pot. Pour in the three litres of fresh water. Add the cinnamon sticks, the cloves and the salt. Bring it up to the boil over a high heat.
- Cover the pot loosely and let it cook for two hours. Check the water level every half hour or so. Top it up with hot water whenever it drops too low. The maize should never be sitting dry in the pot. Stir it occasionally to stop it settling and catching. Testing the maize tells you when it is done.
- Take out a few kernels and press them between your fingers. They should crush easily into a soft floury paste. Let the pot cool until it is safe to handle. Blending hot liquid can force the lid off violently. Ladle the maize and its water into a blender in batches. Fill the jug no more than halfway on each batch. Blend each batch until it is smooth and creamy.
- Pour each finished batch into a large clean jug. Push it through with the back of a ladle to keep the body. Discard the coarse hulls left behind in the sieve. Stir the sugar into the warm blended maize. It needs melting in a little hot water first.
- Taste the drink and add more sugar if you want it sweeter. It will now be extremely thick, closer to a porridge. Cover the jug and refrigerate it for several hours. It thickens further as it chills and may need thinning again.
- Stir the jug thoroughly because it separates on standing. Pour it into cups and dust ground cinnamon over the top. It keeps in the refrigerator for about three days. Stir and check the consistency again before each serving.
Technique
- Somo is distinct from the hot maize drinks of the region such as api, which is made from purple maize and drunk steaming with pastries.
- Somo is cold, thicker, and made from white maize.
Substitutions
- Hominy sold tinned can be used and cuts the cooking to about twenty minutes, though the cooking liquid is thinner and the drink needs more blending to thicken.
Variations
- Some vendors add a little evaporated milk for a creamier cup.
- Others flavour it with cloves alone and leave the cinnamon out.
- A version sweetened only with chancaca is darker and more caramelly.
History
Sold by street vendors in La Paz and Cochabamba, poured thick into plastic cups.
Frequently asked questions
What is Somó?
Somó is a drink from Bolivia: thick cold drink of boiled cracked maize with cinnamon and cloves. Sold by street vendors in La Paz and Cochabamba, poured thick into plastic cups.
How long does Somó take to make?
Somó takes 15 minutes plus overnight soaking of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes about 3 litres. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Somó?
Yes, within limits. Hominy sold tinned can be used and cuts the cooking to about twenty minutes, though the cooking liquid is thinner and the drink needs more blending to thicken.
What is the most important thing to get right in Somó?
Cover the pot loosely and let it cook for two hours. Check the water level every half hour or so. Top it up with hot water whenever it drops too low. The maize should never be sitting dry in the pot. Stir it occasionally to stop it settling and catching. Testing the maize tells you when it is done.
