← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 500 g dried purple corn on the cob (about 3 cobs)
• 3 l Water
• 1 Pineapple, peel and core kept, 200 g of the flesh diced
• 2 Cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 80 g Pitted prunes, halved
• 60 g Dried apricots, chopped
• 50 g Raisins
• 250 g Sugar
• 80 g potato starch or cornflour
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, to dust

Method

1. Break the corn cobs in half and put them in a large pot with the water, pineapple peel and core, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 min, until the liquid is deep purple.
2. Strain into a clean pan, discarding the solids. You should have about 2 litres of purple liquid; top up with water if needed.
3. Add the prunes, apricots, raisins, diced pineapple and sugar and simmer for 15 min, until the fruit is plump.
4. Mix the starch with 150 ml of cold water until smooth. Pour it into the simmering liquid while stirring and keep stirring for 5 min, until thick and glossy like a fruit soup.
5. Take off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Pour into bowls and serve warm or chilled, dusted with cinnamon.

Tips

• Serve half a bowl of mazamorra with half a bowl of arroz con leche and you have “el clásico”, a Lima favourite.
• Dried purple corn (maíz morado) is sold in Latin shops; the same cobs make chicha morada.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Eat Peru Peru Delights