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Mote con huesillo
Chilean summer drink of sun-dried peaches in cinnamon syrup over cooked husked wheat
Mote con huesillo is Chile's summer refresher, sold in tall glasses from street carts on Santiago's Cerro San Cristóbal and at beaches up and down the coast. Huesillos are whole sun-dried peaches, soaked and simmered in a cinnamon caramel syrup; mote is husked wheat cooked until chewy. You drink the cold amber nectar and eat the wheat and peach with a long spoon. Chef's tip: soak the peaches overnight and cook them in their soaking water; that water carries much of the peach flavour.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 12 dried whole peaches (huesillos) or dried peach halves and soak them overnight in 8 ¼ cups water.
5 minStep 2: Next day, in a small pan over a medium heat, melt 4 oz sugar without stirring until amber, about 5 minutes, then carefully pour in a ladle of the soaking water (it will hiss) and swirl until smooth.
6 minStep 3: Add the caramel, 2 ⅞ oz chancaca or dark brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 strips orange peel to the peaches and their water. Simmer for 30–40 minutes until the peaches are plump and soft and the liquid tastes rich and slightly syrupy. Common mistake: boiling hard; the peaches burst and the drink goes cloudy.
35 minStep 4: Meanwhile, simmer 7 oz mote (husked wheat) or pearled spelt in 4 ¼ cups water for 30–40 minutes (check the pack) until tender but still chewy. Drain and rinse in cold water.
35 minStep 5: Chill the peaches and syrup for at least 3 hours. Serve in tall glasses: 2–3 tbsp of mote, 2 peaches and plenty of the cold nectar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mote con huesillo take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 chancaca or dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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