AGUA DE HORCHATA ........ RICA!

The other day we went to a restaurant to do some market research and come to find that their Horchata was the best ever and this was not the research I was doing but it was a nice discovery! This got me on a course to make some at home to enjoy and so here we are....

Horchata can be made from quite a few different ingredients, mostly being determined by the area where you are, where you come from or the style you most like. They're not all the same, like for instance in Spain they tend to use more almonds than rice while in Mexico it's mostly rice. Some like more watered down versions but you can find thick, milky ones too.

Horchata is the procedure and the drink and it doesn't tell you the ingredients, but it could be made from: Cebada (Barley), Arroz (Rice), Almendra (Almonds), Coconut (Coco), Hazelnut (Avellana), Oatmeal (Avena), Sesame Seed (Ajonjoli), Melon (Melon), plus there are other seeds that are regionally used in its elaboration. You can find versions of Horchata in most countries, from Italy, France, Middle East, Mexico and all of Latin America where everyone loves it! Right?

Even if you don't take the nutritional content of Horchata seriously, and you should because considering the ingredients in this drink, you're getting minerals, enzymes, vitamins plus does not contain gluten or lactose making it ideal for many, also is used to treat those with severe diarrhea giving them not just hydration but life sustaining ingredients as well.

Want to make some at home? Here's how:

AGUA DE HORCHATA DE ARROZ.-

2 cups long grain rice (if you want to include nuts or anything else, add at this time too)
1-2 cinnamon sticks, your choice
1 Tbl vanilla, optional
Sweetened Condensed Milk, your choice
Evaporated milk, 1-2 cans or more, your choice
Sugar, your choice

You can either boil the rice until it begins to soften or you can soak the rice overnight in warm water along with the cinnamon. Once soft you can begin breaking it down in a blender, on high speed, along with the soaking liquid.

Run it through a sieve to remove any particles and be smooth, process all of the rice. The sieved liquid gets placed in your receptacle while the more solid and drier material that did not go through the sieve can be saved for other uses like a hot cereal for instance.... tastes great. (Ricardo is having it at this very moment).

Once its all processed you can add the sweeteners if you like or a combination of any of these to your liking. Add some, taste and adjust the sweetness to your taste. Add water, mix well, refrigerate and add ice for a refreshing drink. Enjoy!

NOTE: Just wanted to add that you can also use the Horchata without the added extra water at the end, as a base for an Horchata Cheesecake, or how about Horchata Ice Cream? I can also see it as a base for a cocktail adding liquor to it, right? While the remains of the sieve we talked about before make for a lovely pudding or hot cereal. I can also see it as a filing for pie (it gels really well and if you work on the texture, if you want it finer of course but it's quite nice), or if you make a great deal, don't add the water and finish it, keep it concentrated in the fridge and you'll have a quick glass of Horchata anytime you feel like it....

In any case I hope you will try this so your family can enjoy it like mine....