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Nicuatole
Oaxaca's set corn and cinnamon pudding, cut into squares
Nicuatole is a Zapotec sweet sold in little squares from glass cases at Oaxacan markets and at village fiestas, often with a bright pink top coloured with cochineal. It is made from corn masa cooked with water, sugar and cinnamon until it thickens enough to set when cool, a cousin of atole you can cut with a knife. The texture is soft, slightly bouncy and cool, and it is eaten as an afternoon treat. We give a coconut-milk option and use beetroot juice or a natural red food colouring instead of cochineal (which comes from insects) for the red layer. Chef's tip: cook it until the spoon leaves a clear path across the pan base for a full second; undercooked nicuatole never sets.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz masa harina into 400 ml of the 5 cups water until there are no lumps. Leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Put the remaining water in a heavy saucepan with 1 cinnamon stick (canela), 6 ½ oz sugar and 1 pinch salt and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 3: Pour the masa mixture through a sieve into the pan, whisking all the time. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Step 4: Cook over a medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the base, until it is very thick and glossy and the spoon leaves a clear path for a second. Common mistake: turning the heat up to hurry it; the bottom catches and the pudding tastes burnt.
25 minStep 5: Keep back 4 tablespoons of the hot mixture if making the pink top. Pour the rest into a 20 cm square dish rinsed with cold water and smooth the top.
1 minStep 6: For the pink top, stir 2 tbsp beetroot juice or natural red food colouring into 4 tablespoons of the hot mixture you kept back and spread it thinly over the surface. Otherwise dust with ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
Step 7: Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours, until firm. Cut into squares to serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nicuatole take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick (canela)?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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