Chicha morada
Chicha morada is a deep purple Peruvian drink made by simmering purple corn with pineapple, apple, cinnamon and clove. It is served cold with a squeeze of lime. It tastes sweet, fruity and lightly spiced.
Chicha morada y pisco sour 20100704: Dtarazona, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Where it comes from
The drink comes from Peru, where purple corn (maiz morado) has been cultivated for centuries in the Andes. It is a household staple, served with lunch or sold in markets and restaurants.
Explore the cuisine of Peru.
Recipe
Make Chicha morada at home
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried purple corn (about 2 large cobs)
- 3 quarts water
- 1 pineapple, peel and core only
- 2 apples, peeled and chopped
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 3/4 cup sugar, to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- Diced apple and pineapple to serve
How it's made
- Rinse the purple corn and place in a large pot with the water, pineapple peel and core, apples, cinnamon and cloves.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the liquid is deeply purple.
- Strain through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
- Stir in the sugar while still warm until dissolved.
- Cool, then add the lime juice and chill thoroughly.
- Serve over ice with diced apple and pineapple.
Variations
- Refresco de maiz morado: lighter, less sweet.
- Mazamorra morada: thickened with starch into a pudding.
Cook’s tip: Simmer long enough to extract the color, but don't boil hard or it becomes bitter.
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About this page
Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.
Photo credit
- Chicha morada y pisco sour 20100704: Dtarazona, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)