Horchata (tiger nut milk)


A traditional Valencian cold drink with a creamy and nutty flavour, made with tiger nuts. Advice on how to make any other plant milks from scratch.


Hola!

Horchata is a traditional Valencian drink made with tiger nuts, and it has a creamy nutty flavour, much more intense and distinctive than any other plant milk (in my biased opinion), which makes it unique and so refreshing to drink cold in the summer.

Deceivingly, tiger nuts are not actually nuts, they are tubers collected from the roots of the chufa plant. It was cultivated by the Egyptians on the Nile’s riverbank. They already knew their health benefits and used them in different ways, including the milk form. The Arabs brought it to Valencia after they settled in the Iberian Peninsula. Nowadays, tiger nuts are grown in the north towns around Valencia City, and tiger nut milk is what Alboraia is famous for. Whoever asks me what to do in Valencia when on holiday, I always recommend to hop on the tube and get to Alboraia for a glass of authentic tiger nut milk. You can also find it in the centre, but not as good as. Another must-go place in Valencia is the Central Market, where you can find tiger nuts in 250g bags for 2€. I use this bag for two batches, to make 2 litres of tiger nut milk. If you are not planning to visit my homeland, you can find tiger nuts in some health shops in the UK or you can also buy them online.

It would be unforgivable to talk about tiger nut milk without mentioning fartons (in the photo background). These are glazed long spongy fingers that were specially created by a Valencian family to dunk in tiger nut milk. They are soft and springy like a bun, but hard enough to not break when dipping them into the tiger nut milk. Their long shape was purposely made to put into the tall glasses this drink is served in. You can find my vegan fartons recipe here!

Lastly, you might have also heard of the Mexican horchata, but although named the same, this is a different a drink made of rice flour, water, cinnamon and other ingredients.

PLANT-POWER, MAKE UP!

If you buy tiger nut milk already made, or plan to drink it while on holiday in Valencia, watch out for the ingredients or ask before you order it. Most of the tiger nut milk in Spain usually contains milk proteins, which is an absolute shame, but you can find it “lactose free”.

My recipe is obviously dairy-free and I have also made it refined sugar-free, using dates for a more natural sweetness. 


HORCHATA (TIGER NUT MILK)


Makes: 1 litre or 4 glasses
Prep: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

125g tiger nuts, soaked in water overnight or longer (at least 12h)
6 pitted dates, soaked in 500ml boiling water for 20 minutes
Water

Cotton nut milk bag

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Blend the drained tiger nuts and the dates with their soaking water in a high-speed blender for about one minute to form a paste. Top up with water up to the 1.5L mark and blend for another minute on high.
  2. Pour this mix into a cotton bag and squeeze to collect the milk into a container. I twist it so that the top collapses and the contents don’t spill over from the top. Then the milk can only come out from the bottom part of the bag. Squeeze well and leave in the fridge overnight.
  3. You will observe that it separates in phases and that is completely normal, so shake it very well before serving.
You can keep this in the fridge for a couple of days, and dispose if it gets thick or if it smells.

This same principle works for any kind of plant milk, which are very simple to make from scratch:
  1. 100-150g dry nuts/oats, soak them 15 minutes in boiling water (if you are using oats, do not soak or add boiling water, just skip this step).
  2. Rinse the nuts, add 4 pitted dates for sweetness, top up with water (up to 1.2-1.5l) and blend in a high-speed blender.
  3. Sieve with the help of a cotton bag.
  4. Whatever is left in the bag can be used to make protein balls: Add more chopped dates, chopped nuts, maple syrup/sweeter of your choice, flavourings (vanilla, mint) or cocoa powder until you can make balls with it. Cover with shredded coconut.

Bon profit!