Oaxacan hot chocolate recipe
Hot chocolate is enjoyed daily in the Oaxacan village of Teotitlán del Valle, and Reyna Mendoza prepares it from scratch at her cooking school, El Sabor Zapoteco. Here we share her traditional method, involving roasting and crushing cacao beans, and a modern alternative.
Both offer an ever-so-sweet taste of Mexico.
This recipe is from Lonely Planet’s new book, From the Source Mexico, part of the new From the Source series exploring the world’s top gastronomic destinations from street food stalls to local bistros.
Ingredients
For the modern method- 480 ml water
- 480 ml milk
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon powder (or 4 cinnamon sticks)
- 1 pinch sugar, to taste
- 125 g cacao beans
- 30 ml water
- 8 g cinnamon sticks
- 250 g sugar
- 960 ml hot water, to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Recipe Type: Drinks
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
For the modern method
- Pour the milk and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- When the milk and water mixture is boiling, take it off the heat and add the chocolate, mixing vigorously with an egg whisk.
- Add cinnamon powder and stir, or you could serve each hot chocolate with a cinnamon stick (to stir each cup).
- Add sugar to taste.
For the traditional method
- Put the cacao beans in a bowl and cover with water for 10 minutes.
- Drain the beans and arrange on a comal (or clay plate) to toast over hot coals for 15 minutes or until dark and the outer shell starts to crack.
- Allow to cool for several minutes then remove and discard the shell (do not leave any parts of the shell; this will ruin the drink).
- If you are using a metate to crush the ingredients, heat it on low coals for around 20 minutes. (Before using, it must be well heated.)
- Start to crush the products: first the cinnamon sticks, then the cacao beans until they release their fats. Mix in the sugar – briefly ‘knead’ it in using the stone tool.
- Make a small pile of the mixture and use your hands to press the chocolate substance together. Cut into cubes about 4cm x 4cm (1½in x 1½in). Spread pieces in a tray and leave to cool.
- Each cube makes four serves of hot chocolate when mixed with 960ml hot water (1¾pt).
Reproduced with permission from From the Source Mexico © 2017 Lonely Planet. Oaxacan hot chocolate image © Lonely Planet - Lindsay Lauckner Gundlock.
More Mexican recipes you might enjoy:
Tacos al pastor with pineapple and salsa taquera
Gabriela Cámara's tuna tostadas