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Harina de maíz dulce
Harina dulce: soft Cuban cornmeal porridge with milk, cinnamon and lime peel
In Cuban homes "harina" means cornmeal, and harina dulce is the soft, sweet porridge that grandmothers in Havana and Santiago cooked for children before school, scented with cinnamon and a curl of lime peel the way rice pudding is. It should be smooth and spoonable, like a loose polenta. The usual mistake is pouring the cornmeal into boiling milk, which seizes into lumps at once: start it in cold liquid and whisk as it heats. Chef's tip: take the lime peel out once the porridge thickens, or its oils turn bitter as it sits.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz fine yellow cornmeal
- 3 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup water
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- 1 strip lime peelremoved with a peeler, no white pith
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ oz butter
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamonto dust
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 ½ oz fine yellow cornmeal into 3 cups whole milk and ¾ cup water in a cold saucepan until no dry lumps remain. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 1 strip lime peel and 1 pinch salt.
Step 2: Set over a medium heat and whisk constantly as it heats; after about 6 minutes it will start to thicken.
6 minStep 3: Lower the heat and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom, until thick and creamy and the grains no longer feel gritty. Add a splash of milk if it gets too stiff.
14 minStep 5: Spoon into bowls and dust with ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. It thickens as it cools, so serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does harina de maíz dulce take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 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 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.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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