I’m tired of a food system built around engineered cravings and shelf life instead of actual food.
Here is the recipe to yield 1.5 liters of finished horchata.
Ingredients & Equipment
- 1 cup long-grain white rice (uncooked)
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups milk
- Warm water (for steeping) + Cold water (for topping off)
Equipment: Blender, fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth/nut milk bag, funnel.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Soak (Overnight / 8 Hours) Rinse the rice quickly to remove excess surface dust. In a bowl combine the rice, broken cinnamon stick, and 2 cups of warm water. Cover and let it sit at room temperature overnight so the rice softens enough to blend smoothly.
- Blend High & Long Pour the rice, cinnamon stick, and soaking water directly into a high-speed blender.
- Strain Completely Place a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag over a large bowl or pitcher. Pour the blended mixture through to strain out the gritty rice sediment. Press or squeeze gently to extract all the liquid.
- Mix the Flavors & Sweeten To the strained rice milk, stir in:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar (whisk until dissolved or put it back into the blender)
- Bottle & Chill Using a funnel, pour the flavored mixture into your 1.5-liter plastic bottle. Top off the bottle with cold water until it reaches the neck (leaving a little space at the top for shaking).
- Serve Cap the bottle tightly and shake vigorously to combine. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Serve over plenty of ice, giving the bottle a quick shake before each pour as the rice solids will naturally settle over time.
Just Plain Food
No engineering required.
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