La Purple porridge It is a delicious and healthy dessert, changing in its shape, preparation and very versatile in flavor; characteristics adopted from his great lineage and culinary family.
Today we will present a dessert based on purple corn, specifically with morso corn, one of the 35 types of corn that are harvested in Peru and that are special to make this delicious sweet dish.
Whether together with nuts, pineapple shells, quinces hearts, apples, spices, aromatic cloves, black pepper, cinnamon sticks, powdered sugar or sweet potato flour, the corn porridge It is one of the most valued meals in Peru, which makes it interesting to prepare and share, so here is the recipe for it.
Recipe of the Purple Mazamorra
Ingredients
- 300 gr of purple corn
- 2 liters of water
- 1 liter of milk
- 6 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 200 g sugar
- Ground cinnamon to taste
- Chopped fruits (optional)
Materials
- Olla
- Large wooden spoon
- Dish towel
- Soup cups
- Manual grinder or kitchen helper
Preparation
It is very important soak overnight the corn in a clean container (it can be plastic, metal or clay) with enough water.
The next day, when the corn has been softening for 24 hours, pour it into a mill so that this crush or grind, indistinctly. Also, if you don't have a manual grinder you can use a kitchen assistant to disintegrate the corn well.
Then, place boil the water inside a large pot. When it is about to boil, add the corn, previously ground, the cinnamon, the cloves and the sugar.
With a wooden spoon, mix each ingredient and let cook for an hour. Stir for 15 minutes so that nothing sticks or burns inside the pot.
Later pour the milk and keep stirring so each ingredient comes together very well. Bring the preparation to a boil again and turn off the heat when this happens.
Rectify if it tastes good or if the sugar level is as desired, otherwise, add a little more of sugar to preparation before it cools down.
Let stand and at room temperature serve in a soup cup and sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon. Accompany with pieces of bread or biscuit.
Recommendations for successfully preparing the recipe
The simplicity and ease of the dish is unmatched. But, in order to carry it out with total success, you will need to read the following instructions:
- Act quickly. wash the corn very well, So it is recommended to leave it overnight to soak and the next day wash the grains very well to remove the shell or shell, as well as all existing impurities and debris.
- This delicious purple porridge can be consumed as much hot as warm. At the same time, it can be refrigerated for several days and consumed when necessary
- You can replace the whole milk by skim milk and sugar for sweetener, so the porridge will be much healthier. This type of change is suggested for diabetic or hypertensive people
- In turn, the cinnamon of the decoration can be varied by cocoa powder
- To this porridge you can add Pieces of fruit when it's done. These can be peaches, figs, apples, pears, or finely chopped, seedless pineapple. Some people prefer it with raisins, plums, oats, granola or red berries, but its integration into the recipe will depend on the tastes of the subject.
Nutritional contribution
El purple corn it is a healthy heritage for humanity; since it contains substances phenolic and anthocyanins, in addition to other very important phytochemicals for mental and physical health.
This corn has been used since pre-Inca times and has been represented in different cultures as a food protein and healthy. Some of its nutritional characteristics are described as follows:
For a fee with 200 gr of mazamorra is obtained:
- Calories 150 Kcal (from integrated sweet potato starch and sugar)
- Fiber 4 gr
- Calcium 43 mg
- iron 2 mg
It also has high powers Antioxidants, which slow down the aging process, stabilize and protect the veins and arteries from the action of free radicals and promote good blood circulation, reduce cholesterol levels and fight obesity and diabetes.
Type of corn
El purple corn is part of a set of varieties of Zea Mays that pose a purple fruit.
This plant grows mainly in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador, and it is the only variety in the world that is truly purple to the core, the only one that has innumerable health benefits and is considered a great food with characteristic flavor for desserts, drinks and regional dishes.
In South America there are different varieties of this corn, all derived from a more ancestral line of corn called K culli (Term of Quechua origin) and, which is still cultivated in Peruvian lands. Some of these varieties are distinguished as follows:
- Enhanced purple: This corn is derived from caraz and it is sown at a height of about 2 m, whose male flowering precocity is 90 to 100 days
- Purple Caraz: It is used for sowing in the sierra
- Arequipeno: It is not an intense color, it presents a lot of variability that can be improved, it is earlier than the previous ones
- Purple Cusco: It's a corn late, of large grains arranged in ears of well-defined rows
- Junín Black: They are born in the central and southern highlands of Peru, reaching Arequipa. Count with one more intense color, reaching black, but with the same proteins as the previous ones
There are also other varieties that include corn Bid Gua (from Nahuatl: puxauac, soft), the Congo, Nal te and Mongo.
Why does corn have this color?
The colorant that characterizes corn is a anthocyanin that is cyanidin-3-b-glucoseThis is found both in the grains and in the crown. Likewise, this natural colorant has a beneficial potential for health; because it is a rich antioxidant with proven medicinal properties worldwide.
