EVENTS: SUNDAY FUNDAY & FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP
THEMES: NATIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE DAY & MY BEGINNER RECIPE
Mexican Hot Chocolate is so creamy, chocolatey, spicy and a comforting hot drink especially during the cold season. Usually authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate is made with tablets of rustic table chocolate. It is a tablet of dark cocoa and cinnamon. I hear that the Abuelita by Nestle is really good.
Since I didn’t have the Mexican Chocolate at hand, I used Lindt 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate. Added cinnamon, cayenne powder, a bit of brown sugar and cream for a luscious, creamy dreamy hot chocolate.
While Mexican Hot Chocolate is my all time favourite drink during the cold season, I sometimes like to enjoy hot chocolate without any cream. For those days, I keep my Hot Chocolate Spicy Mix ready. I add the mix to hot milk and it is ready to drink. The Mix also makes a wonderful edible gift for Christmas.
FoodieMonday/Bloghop
When Amrita who blogs at The Food Samaritan suggested to recreate a recipe that we made for the first time, all by ourselves, it brought back so many memories for me. The first ever recipe I tried out on my own was Mexican Hot Chocolate when I was 10 years old. Therefore, that is the recipe I am sharing for this wonderful theme.
Sunday Funday
Sunday Funday is a group of Food Bloggers. Every Sunday we share some fun, traditional, hearty or easy recipes to make Sunday Family Meals a bit more exciting. To join this fun group, visit the Sunday Funday Facebook Page. Request to join in.
This recipe was first published on 05/11/2018 – updated with new photos And write up on 30/01/2022
THEME: NATIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE DAY
Camilla who blogs at Culinary Adventures With Cam suggested we celebrate Hot Chocolate Day which is 31st Jan with our favourite version of this hot drink, or recipes that have hot chocolate flavours in them. I had to redo this very old post with new photos. Mexican Hot Chocolate is my all time favourite as instead of cocoa powder, I use real chocolate. This makes the hot chocolate taste so different.
National Hot Chocolate Day
It is more celebrated in US. Undoubtedly, Hot Chocolate is a popular drink during the winter months. How this national day came about, is not clear.
It is believed that the first chocolate drinks were created by the Mayans in 500BC. The Ancient Mayans drank chocolate made from crushed cocoa seeds mixed in water and chili peppers. Around the 1500s, Explorer Cortez carried cocoa beans and tools for making hot chocolate with him to Europe.
MEMORIES
From the age of 7 or 8 I was already in the kitchen helping my mum. Simple tasks like washing the vegetables, laying the table for meals, smearing ghee over rotis etc. By 10 I was helping her to bake cookies, would get up early in the morning to help her peel tonnes of potatoes when she made chevdo. It then went on to rolling small puris for kachoris, helping her to roast bhakri, stirring khadi, making salads, chopping vegetables, etc. We were a big family of nearly 12 and a constant stream of guests and extended family visiting us. It was obvious we all had to lend a helping hand to my mum.
At the age of 12 I left for boarding school. When we came back home for our vacation, there was no pampering where housework was concerned. We had to help. My dad believed that if others are working how can the younger ones just sit and do nothing. More hands makes lighter work and the task at hand gets over faster. Then all can relax- that was my dad’s motto.
When I completed my 10th grade and came back home, there was nothing like not helping during the weekends. Even during exam time, had to help in the kitchen. This habit formed at an earlier age means I just cannot sit and relax when anyone is in the kitchen working. By the time I completed middle school and came back home, my kaka (chacha) was married. My kaki (chachi) and I became a riotous pair in the kitchen.
Joint Ventures On Saturdays
Every Saturday, after lunch when my mum would take her nap, we would open Tarla Dalal books and decide what to make. Most of the recipes turned out really good, one or two got spoilt. I remember once we tried out the Nougat Basket and it turned into a disaster. It would just not set and was just too liquidy to roll out. At that time didn’t know that we did not prepare the sugar syrup well. Neither did we know how to salvage a recipe. Before my mum woke up, we wrapped the disaster in an old newspaper and threw it away in the dustbin.
When she got up she asked us what we’ve made and we said ” fruit with ice cream”. My mum didn’t say anything then but who goes and tells her about our disaster… our house help James! Obviously we got an earful from her for wasting food! Come evening the whole family knew we had thrown food in the bin!
On My Own First Time
So what is the first thing I made all by myself without any help and back then I was probably 10? It was Mexican Hot Chocolate. Nairobi gets really cold during the months of June, July, August and sometimes September too. The whole family would gather up on Fridays or Saturdays to watch a movie on the television (back then only one channel-VOK – Voice of Kenya) or a video movie (remember the time when a Hindi movie required 3 video cassettes?). That meant we would like to snug up with our shawls or blankets, sip on something hot and watch the movie.
It was a recipe that I had come across in a Cookery Book which was sold at our shop. We didn’t bring all the books at home. Whenever I went to the shop, I loved browsing through the Hamlyn Cookery Books as they were so colourful. I had written down a recipe from one of the books and decided that Friday Movie Night, everyone will be treated to the delicious hot chocolate. Keeping my fingers crossed, I prepared Mexican Hot Chocolate on my own.
Encouraging Family
The praises I got from all made me feel at the top of the world. From then on, whenever someone wanted a hot comforting drink, I had to make Mexican Hot Chocolate. Back then the only dark chocolate available was Bournville Dark Chocolate. The most encouraging thing about my huge family was that no one ever criticized the new dishes kaki and I tried. My misshaped rotis and parathas were devoured with love. Praises were never in short supply. Even today, I get showered with praises which is really encouraging. Having a hubby who is not fussy about food, he will try whatever I make. Only one thing he will not have and that is mango sabji which I love so much.
Some More Hot Drinks You Can Check Out
Turmeric Tea Latte/ Haldi Ka Doodh– a nutritious hot drink with turmeric that helps to get over flus, colds and coughs.
Lavender & Fennel Herbal Tea – hot drink which helps to relax and induce sleep.
Kashmiri Kahwa – another winter special drink, comforting and helps fight winter ailments.
Here’s How Other Members Of Sunday Funday Are Celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day
- 5 Minute Chilli Cinnamon Hot Chocolate from Sizzling Tastebuds
- Cheese in Your Hot Chocolate? Yep. Chocolate con Queso from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Chocolat Chaud – French Hot Chocolate from Food Lust People Love
- Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Hot Chocolate Cookies from Making Miracles
- Mexican Hot Chocolate from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Nutella Hot Chocolate from Sneha’s Recipe
- Salted Caramel Espresso Hot Cocoa (Salted Caramel Mocha) from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Watch How To Make Mexican Hot Chocolate
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients
- FOR THE HOT CHOCOLATE:
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup thick fresh cream
- 50 g dark chocolate
- ½ vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp salt
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- ¼ cup fresh cream whipped
- some cinnamon powder
- some cayenne powder
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan with the cinnamon powder till it begins to boil.
- Let it simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Add the chocolate and sugar. Mix well till the chocolate melts.
- Add cream, salt and cayenne powder. Heat the milk over low heat till it becomes hot.
- Pour the hot chocolate into serving cups or mugs.
- Top with whipped cream.
- Sprinkle some cinnamon and cayenne powder.
- Serve.
Notes
- Use good quality dark chocolate.
- Use any sugar of your choice.
- Do you have any ganache left over? Use that to make hot chocolate.
- Add sugar according to your taste.
Pin For Later:
A little request:
- If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962