Migado de Platano y Corozo de Copala

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy clay cazuela or thick-bottomed 4-quart pot
• •Wooden spoon for constant stirring
• •Box grater for fresh coconut
• •Small knife for scraping softened corozo pulp

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften the corozo

   Put the rinsed corozo fruits in a small pot and cover with water by one inch. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the skins soften and the kitchen smells lightly fruity and nutty. Drain, cool just enough to handle, then rub and scrape the orange flesh from the hard seeds. Keep the pulp. Discard the seeds unless you have the patience to crack them later for the kernel.

2. 2

   Cook the plantains

   Cut the ends from the platanos machos and score the skins lengthwise. Place them in a pot, cover with water, and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides through without resistance. Drain, peel, and mash while warm with a wooden spoon. Do not puree them smooth. Migado should have body, little soft pieces that tell you it was worked by hand.

3. 3

   Make piloncillo milk

   In a heavy clay cazuela or thick-bottomed pot, combine the milk, 1 cup water, chopped piloncillo, Mexican cinnamon stick, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the piloncillo dissolves completely and the milk turns the color of wet brown sugar. Keep the heat respectful. Scorched milk ruins a sweet faster than a careless cook admits.

4. 4

   Thicken the migado

   Stir the mashed plantain into the piloncillo milk. Add the corozo pulp and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from the bottom so it does not catch. The mixture should thicken like a loose pudding, glossy from the plantain starch and speckled with corozo. If it gets too stiff, add a splash of milk. If it is thin, keep stirring. No me vengas con atajos.

5. 5

   Add the coconut

   Fold in the freshly grated coconut and cook 5 minutes more. Fresh coconut matters here. Desiccated coconut tastes like a bag, not like the Costa Chica pantry. Add the vanilla only if your corozo is mild; if the fruit is fragrant, leave the vanilla out and let the palm fruit speak.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Remove the cinnamon stick. Spoon the migado into a shallow clay serving dish and let it rest at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. It firms as it sits, which is why Copala cooks make it ahead for the table. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.

Chef Tips

• •Buy corozo from a coastal market vendor if you are in Guerrero or Oaxaca. In Copala and Cuajinicuilapa, ask the older women selling fruit, not the supermarket. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •If you cannot find fresh corozo, frozen corozo pulp from a Latin American or Caribbean market is the closest compromise. Do not replace it with mango. Mango gives sweetness, but not the palm-fruit depth that makes this dish from Copala.
• •The platanos machos must be very ripe. Green plantain belongs to savory cooking. Yellow plantain will make a flat migado. Blackened skins give you the sugar and starch this pudding needs.
• •Fresh coconut is not optional in this version. Crack the coconut, peel the brown skin if you want a cleaner look, and grate it. Desiccated coconut is dry and dusty. The Costa Chica pantry deserves better.

Advance Preparation

• •The corozo can be simmered and scraped one day ahead. Refrigerate the pulp in a covered container.
• •The finished migado keeps refrigerated for 3 days. Rewarm gently with a splash of milk, or serve at room temperature after it softens on the counter.
• •This dessert is better after a short rest. Make it in the morning for an afternoon table, or the night before for a special occasion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)