Avena (Colombian Cold Oatmeal Drink)
Oats simmered in milk with cinnamon and clove, chilled for two hours and then blended smooth. It is a cold drink served in glasses, not a bowl of porridge, and it is what Colombia means by avena.
Servings: 4
Calories: 237kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flakes
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup water
- 3 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch clove
Instructions
- Put the oats, the milk and the water in a pot and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly with a spoon.
- Add the sugar, the cinnamon, the clove and the cream, turn the heat low and leave it for another 15 minutes.
- Take it off the heat, pour it into a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Put the mixture in the blender and blend for about two minutes. If you do not want it too thick, add a little more water. Serve it cold, in glasses.
Notes
Avena in Colombia is a cold drink, not a bowl of porridge, and that is what this recipe makes. Oats are simmered in milk, chilled for two hours and then blended smooth, and what comes out is poured into glasses. It is sold in bags on the street and drunk with breakfast or in the afternoon. Stir constantly during the first fifteen minutes. Oat flakes sink and stick, and a scorched taste goes through the whole batch. The pot needs watching more than it needs time. The two hours in the fridge are not optional and they are not just about temperature. The oats keep absorbing liquid as they cool, which is what gives the drink its body, and blending it warm gives something thin that thickens unpredictably later. It will thicken further in the fridge overnight, so keep some water or milk aside to loosen it before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 285mg | Iron: 1mg