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Chocolate de agua
Hot chocolate made with water
Oaxaca's frothy hot chocolate whisked with water (chocolate oaxaqueño)
Walk down Calle Mina in Oaxaca City and the air smells of cacao, cinnamon and almonds, roasted and ground into chocolate in front of you at the mills. Most Oaxacans drink it made with water, not milk, so the taste of the cacao comes through clean and slightly bitter, with a thick head of foam raised with a wooden molinillo. It is drunk for breakfast with pan de yema and at every wedding and Day of the Dead altar. The tablets already hold sugar and cinnamon; we give a version with dark chocolate too. Chef's tip: the foam is the point, so whisk hard just before pouring and serve in wide cups.
- Total time
- 12 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz Mexican stone-ground chocolate tabletsroughly chopped, or 100 g dark chocolate (70%) plus 50 g sugar
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick (canela)about 8 cm
- 1 tbsp ground almonds (optional)only if using plain dark chocolate
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 4 ¼ cups water to a simmer with 1 cinnamon stick (canela) in a deep saucepan over a medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until it smells of cinnamon.
6 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz Mexican stone-ground chocolate tablets, 1 tbsp ground almonds if using, and 1 pinch salt. Stir over a low heat for 3 minutes, until the chocolate has fully melted and there are no specks on the spoon.
3 minStep 3: Take out the cinnamon. Whisk hard with a molinillo rolled between your palms, a balloon whisk or a stick blender for 1–2 minutes, until a thick layer of foam covers the surface. Common mistake: boiling it after it has melted; the foam collapses and the chocolate can turn grainy.
2 minStep 4: Pour into cups, spooning plenty of foam onto each, and drink at once with sweet bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chocolate de agua take?
- About 12 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick (canela)?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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