Horchata Salvadoreña

Celina’s Horchata Salvadoreña makes a dry roasted mixture of rice, seeds, peanuts and spices. Eight tablespoons of the resulting powder are dissolved in water and strained, then sweetened, with milk included if desired.

The rice, seeds, peanuts and spices are toasted separately over moderate heat in the selected comal, beginning with the cacao until golden. The rice and other ingredients are kept from burning, and the cinnamon is added last.

The toasted ingredients are joined and ground in the selected mill, without adding water, to make powder. The powder may be stored in a clean, dry glass jar.

For the drink, eight tablespoons of that powder are dissolved in three cups of water. A cloth called etamina strains it. Sugar is added to taste, and the listed cup of milk may be included if desired.

More milk may be added if desired. This drink uses a measured portion of the larger batch of roasted powder, combining its rice, sesame, peanut, native ayote seed, cacao, morro and spices.