Ecuadorian Colada Morada Recipe
This Ecuadorian Colada Morada recipe includes all the traditional ingredients and substitutions for those that can't find the traditional ones!Aromatic, spiced, fruity and delicious, this Colada Morada tastes like Ecuador in a cup! Serve hot or cold with lots of Guaguas (sweet breads) to celebrate the "Day of The Deceased"!
Ingredients
- 8 cups (2 liters) water
- A few leaves Cedron (lemon grass)
- A few leaves Arrayan
- A few leaves Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena)
- 1 sprig Ataco (purple Amaranth)
- 2 orange leaves
- 1 small pineapple (scrub then reserve the peel and core for the infusion in step 1, chop the flesh for step 5)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (240 g) grated panela (or whole panela or just brown sugar)
- 1-2 sticks cinnamon (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 10 whole allspice (or 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice)
- 7 whole cloves (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
- 1 star anise (or a dash ground star anise)
- 1 Ishpingo (cinnamon flower)
- 2 naranjillas (or lulos, it's the same fruit, or use store-bought pulp or pineapple juice with 1 tablespoon lime juice or skip)
- 3 yellow maracuyas (passion fruit) (or store-bought pulp or juice, if using purple maracuyas they're a bit sweeter)
- 1/2 cup (75 g) mortiños (or blueberries but they're milder in flavor)
- 2 cups (290 g) blackberries
- 1/2 cup (60 g) purple corn flour (harina de maiz morado, or cornstarch but it'll give you a slightly different texture with no purple color)
- 1 cup (150 g) strawberries
- Optional: ciruelas (plums), mango, babaco, peaches. (optional, about 1-2 cups each)
Instructions
- Make the infusion with herbs and spices. In a large pot, add water, cedron (lemongrass), arrayan, Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena), Ataco (Amaranth), orange leaves, pineapple peel, pineapple core, panela (or brown sugar), cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise, ishpingo, and cook over medium-low heat until the herbs release all flavor and color. The water should turn a dark tea color. Meanwhile, make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp).
- Make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp). Cut the naranjillas and passion fruit in half, use a spoon to remove the pulp from both and add to a blender. Blend on high for just 10-15 seconds (do not blend longer or the seeds will blend into the juice and make it bitter!).
- Prepare the base of the Colada Morada. Remove half of the herb infusion from the pot, set aside. To the remaining half of the infusion in the pot, add all the mortiños and blackberries (you can leave a few out for decoration). Cook on medium-low until the fruit has released all the flavor and color then blend until smooth and strain with a fine-mesh strainer and return to the pot over low heat. Add the naranjilla and passion fruit juice and the other half of the herb infusion into the pot and mix. Meanwhile, make the corn flour mixture.
- Make the corn flour mixture. Add about 1/4 cup (30 g) water and purple corn flour to a cup or small bowl, mix until dissolved and then add to the pot and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. The corn flour mixture will slowly thicken your drink, you want to keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, like when you make custard. Cook until thickened over medium-low heat, the texture should be similar to thick eggnog or Rompope.
- Add the fruit to the pot and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold with Guaguas (sweet bread) and enjoy! The next day it’ll taste even better as the flavors will bloom as it sits. Store refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. If you prefer warm Colada Morada, only reheat the amount you want to drink (not the whole batch).
Notes
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Nutrition
Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 5gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 185IUVitamin C: 73mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 1mg
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