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Ponche navideño
Hot Christmas fruit punch
Ponche navideño: hot posada fruit punch of tejocotes, guava, sugarcane and apple with cinnamon and piloncillo
During the nine nights of posadas from 16 to 24 December, neighbours in central Mexico walk the streets singing for shelter, and the reward at the last door is a cup of steaming ponche ladled from a clay pot. Whole fruits, tejocotes, guavas, apple, prunes, sticks of sugarcane, simmer with hibiscus, cinnamon and piloncillo until the punch is fragrant and amber, and everyone fishes the soft fruit out with a spoon. This recipe is alcohol-free and good for all ages; some adults add a splash of rum to their own cup, but none is used here. Chef's tip: add the guavas late, as they collapse if cooked too long.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 12 ½ cups water
- 9 oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugarchopped
- 10 ½ oz peeled sugarcanecut into thin sticks
- 2 applescored and diced
- 3 ½ oz pitted prunes
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 6 guavasquartered
- 1 orangesliced
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 12 ½ cups water, 9 oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks (canela) and ½ oz dried hibiscus flowers to the boil in a large pot, then simmer 10 minutes. Scoop out the hibiscus with a slotted spoon.
12 minStep 2: If the 10 ½ oz tejocotes (fresh, frozen or jarred) are fresh, blanch them for 2 minutes, peel and halve them. Add to the pot with the 10 ½ oz peeled sugarcane and simmer 15 minutes.
18 minStep 3: Add the 2 apples, 3 ½ oz pitted prunes and 1 ¾ oz raisins and simmer 15 minutes until the apple is just tender.
15 minStep 5: Ladle into mugs with some of each fruit and a stick of sugarcane to chew. Let children's cups cool a little first.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ponche navideño take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 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 piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon sticks (canela)?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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Perfect for:Christmas