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Nicuatole, set corn and cinnamon pudding with mango
Nicuatole is an old Oaxacan sweet of corn cooked with water, sugar and cinnamon until thick, then left to set and cut into squares, with a pink layer on top. It is cool, soft and gently sweet, and here comes with diced ripe mango; allow 3 hours for it to set.
- 25 minutes
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 15 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 100g masa harina (flour made from nixtamalised corn, that is dried corn cooked in limewater and ground)
- 120g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick (about 5cm)
- A pinch of fine salt
- Half a teaspoon vegetable oil, for the dish
- A few drops of pink food colouring, made from beetroot
- 1 ripe mango
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
Let's cook
- Lightly oil a dish about 18cm square (or a small loaf tin) with the vegetable oil.
- Whisk the masa harina with 250ml cold water in a jug until completely smooth, with no lumps.
- Put 500ml water, the sugar, the cinnamon stick and the salt in a medium pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Lift out the cinnamon stick.
- Pour in the masa mixture in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom, until it is as thick as a firm custard and a spoon drawn across the base leaves a clear trail.
- Pour about three quarters of it into the oiled dish and smooth the top.
- Stir the food colouring into the rest of the pudding in the pan until evenly pink, then spread it quickly over the top in a thin layer.
- Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours until set firm enough to cut.
- Peel the mango and cut the flesh into small cubes. Cut the nicuatole into squares, dust with a little ground cinnamon and serve cool with the mango.
Tips
- In Oaxaca the pink top is coloured with grana cochinilla (cochineal, a red dye from an insect that lives on cactus), which is why we use beetroot colouring to keep it vegan.
- Keep nicuatole covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Swaps
- No mango: serve with fresh pineapple or a few raspberries.
- Warmer spice: add a strip of orange peel and 2 whole cloves to the simmering water with the cinnamon.
Tags
None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written. Masa harina made only from corn and lime is gluten free, but check the bag in case it was made alongside wheat.
Check every packet for allergens.