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Cilantro Horchata It's that time again: Weekend Wokking time!

We knew we couldn't miss an edition of Weekend Wokking, and since the ingredient was CILANTRO (a favorite), we doubly couldn't miss this edition. It's a tough ingredient, for sure, for how does one make cilantro the star of a dish?

So, what to make?

It seems like our energy levels the past few weeks have been dipping considerably, and we seem to be "very busy" for unknown reasons, but we didn't want to just phone this one in. So, we thought something simple, yet something that's still a little unique, was in order.

We present to you, Cilantro Horchata! Actually, I believe our first idea was a rice pudding, but we were even too lazy to make that.

Oh, by the way, JS has just made a groundbreaking discovery as to our dipping level of energy. Ready for it?

It's Dexter!
Well, Dexter and age!

We've had the first season of Dexter on DVD for the longest time, purchased at Costco so long ago, and finally decided to watch it. We finished the season in three or four nights, staying up until only 2am or so. So, we decided to test fate. After discovering that Costco did not have Dexter for sale, I bought Season 2 via Amazon. We had about 5 days of rest before Season 2 arrived, and so were very cocky.

We watched Season 2 in a mere two nights, staying awake until 4-ish (ok, 5-ish) in the morning. Holy, that took its toll! That was a week ago, and it seems the two of us are still paying for it. Age!

Good thing there's quite a bit of time before Dexter: The Complete Third Season comes out on DVD. ;D

Back to our horchata.

Cilantro Syrup The cilantro portion of this item comes in syrup form. I made simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water), and steeped cilantro stems from a few bunches of cilantro in it.

After an overnight stay, they were strained out, leaving me this amber-y simple syrup. When one refers to "horchata" in North America, they usually refer to the Mexican rice-based horchata usually flavored with cinnamon. For Asians, think "rice milk".


To make the horchata, I soaked some rice in water overnight. The next day, I buzzed the whole lot in a blender with more water until liquified.

At first, I strained the mixture through a coffee filter, but found that it strained out all the rice sediment! It left me just water, more or less. So I simply strained everything through a fine sieve.

The resulting drink was a tiniest bit gritty, and had to be stirred occasionally. Any tips on how to prevent the rice and the water from separating? Oh yes, that is our cilantro plant. Our garden is in a state of... non-growth, let's just say. Everybody's bolting in there! So yes, our cilantro plant is now flowering, not yielding any leaves for us to use at all. I used the flowers as garnish for our cilantro horchata.

As for the flavor of the cilantro horchata, it certainly was refreshing and cilantro-y. Although, I believe that, as in all things cilantro, it is probably an acquired taste. =) If Wandering Chopsticks and Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok (the host for this edition) will indulge us, we have one more cilantro entry for Weekend Wokking coming up (tomorrow's post)!

update: Our second entry is posted!
Strawberry Cilantro Salsa, on Grilled Flank Steak Makes approximately 1 liter (1 quart)

Cilantro Sugar Syrup
cilantro stems, 2 to 4 bunches

1 cup raw rice

Make the cilantro syrup by simmering the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the cilantro stems to the syrup and steep, minimum 1 hour, or overnight. Strain out the stems and set syrup aside.

For the horchata, soak the rice grains in the 1 1/2 cups of water overnight, covered. The next day, place soaked rice and liquid in a blender and process until very smooth/liquified. Add the additional 4 cups of water. Strain though a fine sieve while chilling in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving.

Individuals can add cilantro syrup to taste, or simply mix together the syrup and horchata in a pitcher and serve. 

The host this month is Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok.

Check out all Weekend Wokking Roundups. Posted by TS of eatingclub vancouver at 12:02 AM Labels: beverage, Mexican, rice, vegetable