Natilla Colombiana (Panela and Cornstarch Pudding)
Milk cooked with panela and cinnamon and set firm with cornstarch, with coconut through it. It is not an egg custard: it sets solid enough to cut into squares, and it is what Colombia eats at Christmas with buñuelos.
Servings: 8
Calories: 323kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups milk four for the pot, one for the cornstarch
- 1 pound panela or 2 cups of white and brown sugar mixed
- 1 cup cornstarch a full cup: this is what sets it
- Cinnamon sticks to taste
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon to finish
Instructions
- Put 4 cups of the milk in a pot over high heat with the cinnamon sticks.
- Add the panela or the sugar and stir until it has dissolved.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining cup of milk, making sure there are no lumps and that nothing settles at the bottom. Set it aside.
- Once the milk boils, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 4 minutes more. Take out the cinnamon sticks.
- Stir the cornstarch and milk mixture again and pour it into the pot, stirring continuously.
- Add the shredded coconut and the butter.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Cook over medium-low heat until it boils and starts to thicken, stirring constantly.
- Once it has thickened, let it cook for another 8 minutes, until the mixture is thick and heavy and a spoon leaves a trail that holds.
- Pour it into individual dishes or a tray, sprinkle ground cinnamon over the top and leave it to set.
Notes
Colombian natilla is not an English custard and the two get confused constantly. There is no egg in it. It is milk cooked with panela and set with a full cup of cornstarch, which gives something firm enough to cut into squares with a knife, not a pouring cream. If you have made natillas in Spain, this is a different dish under the same name. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold milk, never in the hot pot. That is what the third step is for and it is the difference between a smooth natilla and one with lumps that never come out. Stir it again right before it goes in, because cornstarch settles within a minute. Then stir constantly. A full cup of cornstarch in five cups of milk thickens fast and it catches on the bottom of the pot the moment you stop. The last 8 minutes are what turn it from thick to set. Panela is whole cane sugar in a block and it is what gives natilla its colour and its molasses note. If you substitute, use two cups of white and brown sugar mixed rather than one, which is what a pound of panela actually amounts to. It needs hours in the fridge to set firm, and it is traditionally eaten at Christmas with buñuelos.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 1mg