"Patience is a high virtue." -- Chaucer

I spent the past Saturday catching up on homework. I ran an errand in the afternoon. I had wanted to be out and about, but I was too cold after the errand. So I decided to make me a nice, warm drink. Champurrado, anyone?

For anyone who doesn't know what this drink is, let me explain. Imagine drinking hot chocolate that's thickened with flour. Champurrado is usually served with tamales during holidays and is also a breakfast drink eaten with churros. You can see cart vendors sell the drink when it's winter.

There are several versions of this recipe so I am showing my version. So...what next? To make this drink, I use:

3 cups milk
1 cone piloncillo (unrefined sugar or you can use brown sugar)
1/3 cup masa (corn flour)
lukewarm water to blend masa
1 disk Mexican chocolate (Abuelita or Ibarra brands)
1 stick cinnamon (preferably Mexican canela)

I pour in the milk into a pot and add the piloncillo. You need to add sugar or you will get a bland drink. I put on a low flame. I like having the milk cover most of the piloncillo.

With that done I put the masa in a small bowl. I eyeballed how much water I use, so I can't write an exact amount. You want to use enough water to mix the masa into looking like Cream of Wheat. Make sure there are no clumps of flour:


Add the masa mix to the pot of milk and pilconillo. Use a whisk or sturdy spoon to stir. If you can get one, use a molinillo. My molinillo has taken some abuse so I had to use a cooking spoon. *Tear*

Keep stirring until piloncillo dissolves. Cooking time: 12 minutes. I'm already getting antsy.

The mixture should look like this:


Then add 1 disk of Mexican chocolate. You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla or ground anise. Keep stirring until chocolate melts. Add a cinnamon stick while mixing. Use the stick for flavoring. Cooking time: another 13 minutes. Now I'm really thirsty.

The finished product should look like hot chocolate. Total cooking time: 25 minutes. Lesson learned: priceless.

Some things in life cannot be rushed. If you rush champurrado, you'll get one nasty drink. If you learn how to wait, you can get a delicious drink.

Buen provecho