Recipe for Mexican Horchata

Ah, horchata - truly one of Mexico's finest drinks.

This rich, creamy rice-based drink is oh-so-good if it's made well. Here's a recipe that Jorge, one of our seminary students, shared with us. I made a few tweaks and now it is the official "Hartman" recipe too.

A quick note before we get started - this recipe is not difficult to make, but it does require soaking and chilling time (and lots of it!) so plan ahead, like 24-48 hours in advance. It makes about 6 cups.

Ingredients
2 cups of white rice
4 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

To Make
Place the rice in a large container that can withstand heat. Heat the 4 cups of water to boiling point, then pour over the rice. Add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and let sit for 8 hours or overnight.

Discard the cinnamon sticks. Then place the rice/water mixture in a blender and blend until almost smooth (do this a few scoops at a time so you don't make a huge mess). Strain the contents or pour them through a cheesecloth into a pitcher. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Chill for at least two hours. Serve in glasses with ice.

Notes
- horchata is pronounced or-CHA-tah

- I like this best with whole milk

- I didn't strain the blended rice immediately. I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. This helps everything settle to the bottom, which makes it easier to strain (in my opinion).

- We think the drink tastes better if it chills for a long time (like 12-24 hours after it's finished).

- horchata can be served in sippy cups to young children :)




p.s. Special thanks to Andrew, who helped me with the taste-testing process. Look how brave he is!

Oh, and Andrew, you now have to come over and try my final version (and play some more music for us too).


p.p.s. This is the seventh recipe in an 8-part series that I'm doing on Mexican recipes. Find more here.