Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Amazing Purple Corn



The Amazing Purple Corn

Purple corn is a close relative of our yellow corn and is grown in the Andean regions of Peru.

This ancient healing food has been cultivated already centuries ago by the Incas and is still very popular among modern Peruvians.

Among its many health benefits is its high content of anti-oxidants. It is also anti- inflammatory, helpful against diabetes and has a great weight loss potential.
Its deep, rich color has been used traditionally to color food.




In modern Peruvian cuisine it’s used for many purposes. Recently I tried Cheesecake with a Chicha topping, a real culinary Highlight.

A refreshing, customary drink called Chicha Morada is made by boiling the purple corn.


This vitalizing, cool drink is all natural, very refreshing and cause of its gorgeous color a real treat for the eyes.

To prepare Chicha Morada you need:
 

2l water

½ kg purple corn

½ Pineapple

3 limes

The peel of ½ kg apples

3 cloves

1 cinamon stick

½ cup of sugar

Preparation:

Bring  the water to boil with all the above mentioned ingredients except for the sugar and the lime juice.

Then lower the temperature to moderate heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes.



Let cool down and drain.

Serve ice cold. You can keep the Chicha Morada  in the fridge for 2-3 days.

*Note: add the sugar and lime juice just before serving to prevent fermentation!
Serves 8-10

Enjoy!


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18 comments:

  1. What a fun looking drink! Plus, I love anything purple.

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    Replies
    1. It's the most intense purple you can imagine8 so you would like it:)), and the taste is very refreshing.

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  2. That is gorgeous looking corn! Such a great color. And that drink looks spectacular. I don't think I've ever seen this corn in our markets, but maybe it's at one of the specialty grocers, and I've missed it - I'll definitely look for it. Thanks for this.

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    Replies
    1. I suppose you can buy the purple corn as well at grocers that are specialized in Latin American food.
      Glad that you liked the post!

      Delete
  3. Hi Daniela, first time I see purple corn, love the colour look so beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing the information.

    Your Chicha Morada look so refreshing, looking at ingredients I'm sure it's very tasty. The last picture...I help myself, self service. Slurrpppppppp LOL

    Have a lovely week ahead, take care my dear.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia,
      The Chicha Morada is really refreshing and healthy, best of two worlds :)
      So glad you liked the post.
      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  4. This purple corn is so pretty. And I would never have thought of using it in a drink! What a refreshing looking drink it is xx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind feedback!
      Suppose it's very hot in Australia right now, ideal for a glass of fresh Chicha Morada!

      Delete
  5. I've heard about purple corn, but never seen the actual corn. This was a fun post! Now I can say I've seen purple corn! I'm impressed with your drink too. Now I only wish that I could try this drink... :)

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  6. Hi Nami,
    it was really impressive to see this deep rich natural color.
    And now in summer ( for us in Peru :) ) it's so refreshing to have a cool drink of Chicha Morada and good for your health too.

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  7. i wasn't even aware of any other corn besides yellow corn but this looks beautiful and that drink has an incredible color :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you,so glad you liked the post!
      Actually it's not very easy to find purple corn ( except for some grocery stores specialized in South American food), but the Chicha Morada tastes great and is very healthy too :)

      Delete
  8. What an incredible website. Everything is so vibrant and colorful. When the picture of the purple corn first came up I naively thought "wow, how did she dye that so dark". I have been educated. I live in Florida. I just tried purple yams, so I will keep an eye out for purple corn. Thanks for visiting my website!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rachel,
      thank you,very happy you like my blog!
      The color of this corn is really incredible and as I can see from several comments, it's not very well known until now.
      Great that the color inspired you, maybe for creating another pair of beautiful earrings? :)

      Delete
  9. I love this purple corn. It is amazing! Incorporating it with cloves, apples, pineapple, and limes sounds very delicious. Love the pictures :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Judy,wish I could invite you a glass of this Chicha Morada, it's really delicious!

      Delete
  10. And I thought the only purple foods were aubergines and purple cabbage! So beautiful to look at and healthy too. I like the combo of citrus + star anise.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Meenakshi,
      so happy to hear that there is now a new item on your list of purple food
      :))
      Thank you for your kind feedback!

      Delete

 
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