AI-generated image
Tejuino
Fermented corn drink
Jalisco's lightly fermented masa and piloncillo drink with lime and salt
On hot afternoons in Guadalajara, vendors ladle tejuino from big clay pots into plastic bags or glasses with ice, a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt and often a scoop of lime sorbet. It is made from corn masa cooked with piloncillo and left for two or three days to ferment a little, which gives it a tangy, slightly sour taste. The fermentation is light and the drink is sold as non-alcoholic, but a trace of alcohol can form, so keep the fermentation to 2 days and serve it well chilled. Skip the fermenting stage entirely for children: drink it fresh as a sweet atole-style cooler. Chef's tip: taste it each day; take it to the fridge as soon as it tastes pleasantly sour, like a mild yoghurt.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the tejuino
- 9 oz piloncillo or dark brown sugarchopped
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 7 oz masa harina
- 1 cinnamon stick (canela) (optional)
To serve
- 3 limesjuiced
- ½ tsp salt
- 10 ½ oz ice cubes
- 6 scoops lime sorbet (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz piloncillo or dark brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick (canela) and 1.5 litres of the 8 ¼ cups water in a large pot over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 7 oz masa harina into the remaining water until smooth, then pour it into the pot through a sieve, whisking constantly.
2 minStep 3: Simmer over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens to the texture of a thin custard and no longer tastes of raw flour. Common mistake: not stirring; masa sinks and scorches quickly.
20 minStep 4: Cool completely, remove the cinnamon, pour into a large clean jar or glass bowl and cover loosely with a cloth.
60 minStep 5: Leave at cool room temperature for 1–2 days, stirring once a day, until it smells and tastes gently sour and slightly fizzy. Then chill it. (For an unfermented version, chill it straight away.)
Step 6: Stir well (it thickens as it sits) and thin with cold water if needed. Pour over 10 ½ oz ice cubes, add 3 limes and a pinch of ½ tsp salt to each glass, and top with 6 scoops lime sorbet if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tejuino take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
- 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 piloncillo or dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Power packApple, pear, kiwi and celery juice
A sweet, energising juice of apples, pears and kiwi fruit with a stick of celery, all used unpeeled for extra goodness. It's naturally sweet, so it needs no sugar. Serve well chilled.
Guava delightGuava, mango and banana drink
A thick, fragrant blend of ripe guava, mango and banana, boosted with a spoonful of guava powder from the health shop. The book calls it a modern-day vitality drink, drawing on guava's long use in traditional Indian medicine. Serve it well chilled; sieve it if you don't like the little guava seeds.
PingadoHot milk with coffee
Order 'um pingado' at the balcão of any São Paulo padaria at 7 in the morning and the attendant pours hot milk into a ridged glass tumbler (the copo americano) and 'drips' in a splash of strong coffee, hence the name. It is milkier and gentler than a média (half coffee, half milk), creamy and lightly sweet, usually drunk standing up with a pão na chapa, a toasted buttered roll. At home you need strong filter coffee and milk heated until steaming. Scalding the milk is the frequent mistake, as boiled milk tastes flat and forms a skin. Chef's tip: froth the hot milk for a few seconds with a whisk or by pouring it back and forth between two jugs before adding the coffee, as padaria machines do.
Brazilian