Champurrado del Valle de Toluca

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot
• •Blender for smoothing the masa
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wooden spoon
• •Molinillo or sturdy whisk
• •Clay jarritos for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Dissolve the masa

   Put the fresh masa in a blender with 2 cups of the milk and blend until completely smooth. If you use masa harina, whisk it with the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before blending. Masa must hydrate before it thickens properly. Otherwise you get lumps, and no señora at the mercado will forgive that.

2. 2

   Build the sweet base

   In a heavy pot, combine the water, piloncillo, canela, salt, and remaining 4 cups milk. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves. Do not boil hard. Milk scorches fast, and scorched milk announces itself before you can hide it.

3. 3

   Add the chocolate

   Add the chopped Mexican chocolate and stir until it melts into the milk. The color should turn deep brown, not pale beige. Mexican chocolate has cacao, sugar, and canela already inside it, so taste before adding more sweetness. No me vengas con cocoa powder and calling it the same thing.

4. 4

   Thicken with masa

   Pour the blended masa through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the pot, whisking as you pour. Lower the heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The champurrado should coat the spoon and feel thick enough to drink slowly, almost to eat. The masa is cooked when the raw corn smell disappears and the chocolate smells round and toasted.

5. 5

   Whisk until frothy

   Remove the canela. Work a molinillo between your palms inside the pot until the surface turns foamy. If you do not own one, use a whisk and your arm. The froth matters because champurrado is not just hot chocolate with flour. It is atole with chocolate, masa, and air worked into it. Así se hace y punto.

6. 6

   Serve in jarritos

   Ladle into clay jarritos or thick mugs while it is glossy and full-bodied. Serve with tamales, pan dulce, or nothing at all. In the Valle de Toluca, this is breakfast, holiday food, and comfort in one cup. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh nixtamal masa from a tortilleria gives the best body. Masa harina works, but it is a compromise, not an upgrade. Look for Maseca, Masienda, or another nixtamalized corn flour without added seasonings.
• •Use Mexican canela, the soft, brittle cinnamon sold in Mexican markets. Hard cassia sticks taste sharper and colder. At La Merced, the spice vendors will show you the difference if you ask.
• •Mexican chocolate tablets vary in sweetness. Abuelita is common and sweet. Mayordomo from Oaxaca has better cacao flavor if you can find it. Taste before adding extra piloncillo.
• •Do not walk away once the masa goes in. Champurrado thickens from the bottom first. Stir like you mean it.

Advance Preparation

• •Champurrado is best served the day it is made, while the masa is smooth and the foam is fresh.
• •Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of milk or water, stirring constantly, because the masa thickens as it sits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)