Chicha made from purple corn - 100% Peruvian

Hello to all the food lovers over the world! I hope that you are all well. Today I want to tell you about one of the most delicious and nutritious drinks that we have here in Peru. It is very simple to prepare. When people come to Peru they are amazed to see that purple corn exists and that is because Peru is a very diverse country with a variety of original products, and one of those is the purple corn.

Purple Chicha is one of the drinks that cannot be missing from any birthday, afternoon or evening kids party and not only kids but also us adults hehehe. It is one of the most delicious drinks in my country and these days, thanks to the gastronomy boom and value of the Peruvian variety, purple chicha is little by little winning the hearts of the lovers of something delicious, nutritious, authentic and 100% Peruvian.

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One of the things or better said, properties of this delicious purple chicha is that is an antioxidant drink, which means that it helps us to nourish our cells and prevents the ageing of our skin. This is without a doubt one of the drinks that you should not forget to try on your visit to Peru, since a unique taste experience is certain.

On the other hand, with the same purple corn, another one of the most delicious puddings in Peru is made with it. There is not one Peruvian who has not tried the 'mazamorra morada' (purple corn pudding), with rice milk or eaten on its own.

The 'mazamorra morada' is a recipe that I have already shown you in another publication and it is so simple, like the purple chicha. The only difference is that you add potato starch. Do you know what that is? It is the flour from potato that you can get in the form of a gelatinous and lumpy mass, so in general you eat it hot. Although, I have to be honest that I also love to leave it for a day in the fridge since there it turns into a gelatinous and ice cream like texture, it is an unmistakable flavour.

Before I returned to Italy from Peru, my mother gave me a kilo of purple corn so I would be able to make it at home and to tell you the truth, every cob of corn is so pure and consistent that you only need two to be able to make a well concentrated and delicious drink. On some occasions I have made it for some friends of other nationalities so they can get to know a little more of Peru.

Going back to the explanation of the purple Chicha, without any further ado I have detailed here the ingredients for this Peruvian recipe.

Ingredients:

• Purple corn
• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Lemon juice
• Sugar to taste

Preparation:

1. The first thing you have to do is turn on the stove in your kitchen and let the boiling water stand with the cinnamon, the clove and the purple corn. The secret to gaining more flavor is to remove the corn and place the corn cork in the water to give the full flavor of this delicious drink!
2. We must wait until it has boiled completely, stir it from time to time with a wooden ladle so that the ingredients and the aromas mix together. As you can see it is quite simple.
3. Once it has boiled, use an empty pot to strain the corn and a purple liquid will come out. That is the purple chicha!
4. An important point that you have to know is that the 'chicha morada' cannot be drunk hot, so you have to wait for it to cool down. Let it cool down to room temperature. My suggestion is to drink it cold, so that is why we have the fridge so do not hesitate to use a disposable bottle or a pot and place the purple chicha inside the refrigerator until it starts to cool down before you start drinking it.
5. After this cooling, add sugar and squeeze the lemon juice. Mix it with a ladle and you are ready to live the experience. You can take it to the table and share it with friends or alone, if that is what you fancy.

On the other hand I want to tell you that the 'chicha morada' should stay in the refrigerator if you are not going to drink it on the same day. This can remain there for a maximum of three days, as I have told you it is a natural drink and therefore it can go off if you do not drink it within this time frame.

It is a drink that is loved far and wide and nowadays in the bars of Peru you can also find the Peruvian sour known as chicha sour, now that is a Peruvian cocktail! It goes with side by side with chicha morada as one of the most important drinks of Peru, do you know what I mean? Because there is nothing more and nothing less than our beloved Pisco.

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For the decoration you can cut a few slices of lemon and serve it in a glass to see the colour of the purple chicha. You will see that it will have a bright colour and that will surprise more than one.

If you are not in Peru it is very difficult to find the blessed purple corn to be able to comply with this faithful recipe. However, for example, let me tell you that I have found purple corn in the Latin store before and you can also get it in the Chinese stores where Peruvian products are also stocked. So get to work!

I have to be honest, that the purple corn in Europe is expensive, so I brought a bag that my mother gave me from Peru and I have it open so that it does not get damaged and so that it can last a long time without any problem. We'll see how long it will last :)

Finally, you can also find similar products to the tasty 'chicha morada', however, in spite of that, the majority of Peruvians make it in the way explained above, since it is a product that is home made with those blessed Peruvian hands. The hands used to create the most delicious dishes in a simple way.

I hope you are encouraged to prepare purple Chicha soon. As I assure you, you will not regret it. Thank you very much for reading this recipe and I will see you on another adventure. See you soon!

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