It was sweltering hot in my neck of the woods these past couple of days, it was like the training grounds for down below. Summer has, indeed, arrived and the heat is on! Even with the a/c blaring its mightiest, the kitchen was the last place I wanted to be. I haven’t really done much cooking and mostly spent the days chugging down the coldest drinks I could get my hands on.
Guys, you know my great love for Mexican cuisine and this affection definitely extends to its many types of agua frescas such as the tamarind drink I shared a month ago and this horchata made of ground rice, sweetened milk and cinnamon. If you ask me, nothing washes down a great meal of shrimp fajitas better than an icy cold glass of this milky drink. It’s refreshing as it is delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 cinnamon stick broken into pieces
- 2 liters water
- 1 12 ounces can evaporated milk
- 1 14 ounces can condensed milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon to taste optional
Instructions
- In bowl, combine rice, cinnamon stick and 1 liter of the water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
- In a blender, place soaked rice, cinnamon and the soaking water. Blend for about 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain liquid mixture into a large pitcher.
- Add remaining 1 liter of water, evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir well until well-combined and sugar is dissolved. Serve horchata over ice and sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.
