How is the traditional Valencian horchata prepared? The recipe of the quintessential summer drink
Horchata, whose full name is “horchata de chufa,” is a drink that originated in the city of Valencia, Spain. In the rest of the article, we will explain the traditional recipe for this drink.
What is horchata de chufa?
Horchata de chufa is a sweet drink from the province of Valencia. It is made from the tubers of the sweet tiger nut, which may also be known as ground almond, tiger nut, or orgeat. The name “Orxata” is also found on some bottles.
It is a plant-based milk that can be compared to almond or soy milk, ideal to enjoy when the warm weather arrives.
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How is horchata de chufa prepared?
To prepare horchata you will need :
- 250 g of Valencian chufa (it is very important that it actually comes from Valencia, because it is the best quality you can find),
- 1 liter of water
- 80 g of sugar,
The full recipe steps for making horchata
- First, place the tiger nuts in a bowl of water. The nuts should be well covered and allowed to sit for at least 8 hours. It is best to leave them for a full day! Store in the refrigerator and remember to change the water from time to time.
- Then you can drain the tubers.
- Then they can be blended to a fine powder.
- Add half the water and blend again to make a smooth paste without lumps.
- At this point you need to strain this paste to extract as much milk as possible, using a coffee filter or fine sieve, for example.
- Repeat the operation with the other half of the water to extract as much milk as possible from the paste.
- At this point, you can add the sugar to the liquid.
Store in the refrigerator and enjoy well chilled, almost frozen!
What can be served with horchata de chufa?
For those with a sweet tooth, it is advisable to have something to accompany or dip in horchata.
Traditionally, horchata is eaten with “fartons,” a kind of stick-shaped brioche. If you are in Madrid, you can also serve it with churros. Here is a very simple recipe for making it yourself, which takes only 30 minutes!
All you need is:
- 500 grams of flour
- half a glass of water
- a pinch of salt
- 125 g of butter
- 150 g of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 50 grams of baking powder (to make them rise well),
Knead all the ingredients to form a ball with the dough, then arrange them into small balls that we will let rise for about 15 minutes. You can then shape the sticks, letting them rest a little longer and then putting them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees fan for 10 to 15 minutes.