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Chicha venezolana
Creamy chilled rice and milk drink with cinnamon
Chicha venezolana is the thick, creamy rice drink sold from pushcarts by chicheros on the streets of Caracas, poured over ice and topped with condensed milk and cinnamon. Unlike Mexican horchata, which is made from soaked raw rice, chicha is made from rice cooked until very soft, then blended with milk, condensed milk and vanilla, so it's thick and velvety, almost a drinkable rice pudding. Children love it as an afternoon treat. Chef's tip: cook the rice until it is really mushy and splitting; any firmness left makes the chicha gritty.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz white rice, 4 ¼ cups water and 1 cinnamon stick in a pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook, part-covered and stirring now and then, until the rice is very soft and starting to burst, 30–35 minutes. Add a splash of water if it gets dry.
33 minStep 2: Remove the cinnamon stick and leave the rice to cool completely.
Step 3: Blend the cooled rice with 2 cups cold whole milk, 7 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 pinch salt until completely smooth and creamy, 2 minutes. If it's thicker than a milkshake, blend in a little cold water. The common mistake is under-blending: it should feel silky on the tongue.
Step 4: Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve over 2 cups ice cubes, with a drizzle of condensed milk and a dusting of ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Keeps 2 days in the fridge; stir before pouring.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chicha venezolana take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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.
- What can I use instead of white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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