Colombian Hot Chocolate with Aguapanela
Hot chocolate made on aguapanela rather than milk or water, whisked until it foams. Two ways: with chocolate tablets or with instant chocolate. Five minutes either way.
Servings: 2
Calories: 113kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups aguapanela panela dissolved in hot water; this is what makes it Colombian
- 2 chocolate tablets, or 2 teaspoons instant chocolate tablets give the traditional result, instant is the weekday one
Instructions
With chocolate tablets
- Put the 2 cups of aguapanela in a chocolatera, or any tall narrow pot, over medium heat and bring it to the boil.
- Add the two chocolate tablets and wait for them to dissolve. The chocolate will rise up the sides of the pot as it comes back to the boil, so watch it.
- Take the pot off the heat straight away and whisk hard with a molinillo, rolling the handle between your palms, until the surface is covered in foam. A hand whisk does the same job.
- Serve, with marshmallows on top if you want them.
With instant chocolate
- Pour two cups of hot aguapanela and stir a spoonful of instant chocolate into each.
- Stir well and serve, with marshmallows if you like.
Notes
Aguapanela is the base and the reason this tastes different from hot chocolate anywhere else: panela dissolved in hot water, unrefined and faintly smoky, doing the job that milk or water does elsewhere. The foam is not decoration either. Whisking hard off the heat is what emulsifies the cocoa fat into the liquid, and a Colombian cup is judged partly on how much foam sits on top. A molinillo, the carved wooden whisk rolled between the palms, is the traditional tool, and an ordinary hand whisk gets you there. And in much of Colombia a chunk of fresh cheese goes into the cup, where it softens and is eaten with a spoon at the end.
Nutrition
Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg