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Merengada
Merengada: ripe strawberries whizzed with cold milk, sugar and ice into a frothy Venezuelan milkshake
Ask for a batido in Venezuela and you get fruit blended with water; ask for a merengada and it comes with milk, frothy and pale. The name is said to come from the old habit of beating in a little egg white like a meringue, which few cooks do now. Every panadería and fuente de soda from Maracaibo to Barcelona has a row of fruits on the counter, and strawberry from the Andes of Mérida, banana and guava are the favourites, ordered with a cachito or a pastelito at breakfast or as an after-school treat. A good merengada is cold, light and foamy, tasting clearly of fruit, not just of sweet milk. The common mistake is too little ice and too much milk, which gives a thin, warm drink with no froth. Blend the fruit with part of the milk first until perfectly smooth, then add the ice and the rest of the milk and blend hard. It is ready when a thick layer of pink foam sits on top and no fruit pieces are left. Banana or guava (strain the guava for seeds) work the same way. Chef's tip: frozen strawberries make it frostier; cut the ice by half if you use them.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the merengada
- 10 ½ oz ripe strawberrieshulled
- 2 cups cold whole milk
- 3 tbsp white sugarto taste
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 10 ice cubes
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz ripe strawberries, 3 tbsp white sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla extract and half the 1 cup cold whole milk in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds until completely smooth and bright pink.
1 minStep 2: Add 10 ice cubes and the rest of the 1 cup cold whole milk and blend hard for another 30–40 seconds, until frothy with a thick layer of foam on top.
1 minStep 3: Taste, add a little more sugar if needed, and pour straight into glasses so the foam stays on top.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does merengada take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 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 ripe strawberries?
- Raspberries, blueberries or chopped peaches, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cold whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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Spanish