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Arrope de chañar
Arrope de chañar: the dark Atacama syrup boiled down from chañar fruit
In the oases of the Atacama, from San Pedro to Toconao, the small brown fruit of the chañar tree is gathered in late summer, dried in the sun and boiled for hours into arrope, a molasses-like syrup with notes of dates and caramel. Grandmothers keep a bottle for winter coughs, but most of it ends up on toast, stirred into hot water or over mote (cooked wheat) and fresh cheese. Dried chañar is sold in northern markets and online; it needs no sugar at all. The classic mistake is walking away at the end, when the syrup thickens fast and scorches, turning bitter. Chef's tip: stop reducing when the syrup coats a spoon thinly; it sets much thicker as it cools.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb dried chañar fruit
- 10 ½ cups water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb dried chañar fruit in a sieve under cold running water to wash off dust, then tip into a large, heavy pan with 10 ½ cups water.
Step 2: Bring to the boil, then simmer half-covered until the fruit is very soft and the water has turned dark brown.
90 minStep 3: Mash the fruit in the pan with a potato masher to free the pulp from the stones.
Step 4: Pour everything through a sieve lined with a clean, damp cloth into a bowl. When cool enough to handle, gather the cloth and squeeze hard to get out all the liquid. Discard the stones and pulp.
15 minStep 5: Return the liquid to the cleaned pan and simmer, uncovered, stirring more often as it thickens, until it has reduced to about 250 ml and coats the back of a spoon like thin honey. Keep the heat low for the last 20 minutes so it doesn't catch.
120 minStep 6: Pour into a sterilised jar or bottle and leave to cool before closing. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 months; serve a tablespoon at a time.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 70 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arrope de chañar take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 220 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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