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Horchata

Adapted from Paletas (Ten Speed) by Fany Gerson I used rice milk since I like the flavor of it and it is a bit lighter than regular milk, although there are versions of horchata that use plain milk (whole or skim), coconut milk, or even sweetened condensed milk. Feel free to use what you’d like, although if using coconut or condensed milk, sweeten the horchata to taste. Speaking of which, on first taste, I thought this was a little sweet. But after pouring it over ice, I realized the sweetener was just right. The original recipe called for the full cup,bBut you may wish to start off with the smaller amount sugar (or even less) and add more if you wish.
  • 2/3 (120g) cup white rice, (see Note)
  • 3 (700ml) cups warm water
  • One 2-inch (5cm) cinnamon stick
  • 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups (500ml) rice milk or regular milk
  • Ground cinnamon, for serving
  • In a blender, grind the rice so it is in fine pieces, roughly the consistency of very coarse polenta. (If your blender won’t go that fine, that’s okay and just break up the rice as much as possible.)
  • Transfer the rice to a bowl then pour warm water over it and add the cinnamon stick. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, but preferably overnight.
  • Pluck out the cinnamon stick then puree the rice and water until it’s as smooth as possible. Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, squeezing it relatively firmly to extract as much of the rice flavor as possible.
  • Stir in the sugar and milk, mixing until the sugar is dissolved. Taste, and adjust sweetness, if necessary. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Notes

Serving: Serve over ice with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon on top.
Storage: Store the horchata in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Note: Most horchata recipes recommend long grain rice. However, I used short grain rice, and was pleased with the results. In Spain they make horchata with <A href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus">chufa</a>, which is not easy to find if you live elsewhere.