Chicha de Quinua
WIP. A fermented beverage made from quinoa from the Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia. Variants based on color of quinoa used. A non-alcoholic version apparently also made for children. Try sprouting quinioa before use as well and compare results. Does grinding vs not grinding matter? Strain out quinoa before fermenting or after? How long should steeping happen? ADD Andean culture tag? REFINE spices that should be included and quantity. REFINE quantity of sugar. REFINE length of fermentation.
Peru Bolivia
Ingredients
Instructions
Instructions
Boil spices in water in a large pot. Add quinoa and simmer until cooked through, adding more hot water if necessary. Strain through cheese cloth, sweeten to taste, and pour into a fermentation vessel. Let ferment 2 weeks, stirring occasionally, covered with a breathable cloth.
Comments
Started a half batch of this yesterday using white quinoa and 1T white sugar plus 1T molasses instead of brown sugar. I found washing the quinoa to be of little use - the water was completely clear the first time. Perhaps more necessary with certain quinoa sources. After boiling I allowed the entire mixture to cool to room temperature for a couple of hours before straining it into a half-gallon mason jar, which I covered securely with muslin. The liquid is a cloudy brown and tastes distinctly of quinoa, but I can't really detect the spices. We are reserving the boiled quinoa for other purposes, perhaps as use in a breakfast bake or as a type of porridge.
Update on batch started Dec. 5. Tested it on Dec. 11 (6 days sitting at room temperature) and found it pretty sour but otherwise lacking. The flavor of the quinoa definitely comes through, but I get none of the spices at all. Despite only seeing a few bubbles on the surface on day 2, and what I assume was kahm yeast afterwards, it does seem to have completely fermented and converted all the sugar. I dissolved a small amount of sugar into a glass of it to drink and found that a much more pleasant flavor than the chicha plain. For the next batch I think I will make less, but double all the spices and check on it after 3 days to see how sweet it is.