Horchata De Arroz Recipes

Steps:

• Put the rice in a blender or spice grinder and process until completely pulverized, with a flour like texture. (Alternatively, you can leave the rice whole if you prefer.) Combine the rice powder, warm water, and cinnamon stick and stir with a whisk until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until as smooth as possible. It will feel slightly grainy but should not be gritty. Strain into a pitcher through a sieve or colander lined with a couple layers of cheesecloth, pressing the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the sugar and milk, then taste and add more sugar if you like.
• Refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve over ice, topped with a sprinkling of the ground cinnamon.
• In downtown Oaxaca's Mercado 20 de Noviembre, there's a stand called Doña Casilda, where they add about 2 tablespoons worth of chunks of cantaloupe and red prickly pear and 1 tablespoon of pecans-or a combination of those-to a tall glass of horchata, depending on your preference. The prickly pear makes the horchata turn a light shade of pink, and the chunks of fruit and pecans complement the horchata wonderfully.
• Or, to make a coconut horchata, add 1/2 cup of ground blanched almonds to the rice powder mixture before you soak it, and 1 cup of fresh coconut flesh when blending the rice mixture. If the consistency is too thick, add water.
• To make a nut horchata, add 1 cup of raw nuts (almonds, cashews, or peanuts) to the rice powder mixture before soaking, then proceed as directed.