San Churro Classic Spanish Hot Chocolate

You’ve probably noticed that my recent posts have got nothing to do with what I have been cooking. Please forgive me. Uninspired is probably not the right term but it is something akin to it. But very soon, I promise, I’ll be back in the kitchen to try out some new recipes to add to my repertoire.

In the meantime, this post is to thank good friends of mine from the west coast for gifting me with hot chocolate mix from San Churro. Thank you Doms & Dei! Love it!

A recipe on how to make a classic Spanish hot chocolate is printed on the very stylish looking can it came in. Follow it to the dot and you get a thick and rich chocolate drink. The only thing missing???? The churros!

San Churro has got a branch in the Sunshine Coast (which is a couple of hours drive from where we live). I have a better chance of visiting it in NSW or WA in the near future. No plans to head up the coast any time soon.

Just in case you can’t read the recipe in the photo I’ve re-printed it below:

How to Make Classic Spanish Hot Chocolate

1 cup milk

2 heaped scoops (approximately 40 grams) of Classic Spanish Chocolate powder

1. Heat up the milk in a saucepan.

2. When milk is warm add the chocolate powder and stir continuously over low heat until mixture thickens. DO NOT BOIL.

Hot Chocolate (using Dumaguete Tableas)

It's not a well known fact but the Philippines has got a rich chocolate culture that is believed to date back to the 1600s. Hot chocolate made from native chocolate tablets called tableas is the beverage of choice for breakfast, during Christmas or when simply enjoying rice cakes and other traditional desserts.



I’ll be honest I did not grow up on this thing. I’m more from the Milo and Ovaltine generation. My earliest memory of having Filipino hot chocolate was as a grown up at Café Adriatico. Sad but true.



So it pleased me to no end when we were gifted with Dumaguete tableas by my wife’s childhood friend - and now ninang to Eia. Thank you very much Thennie and advance happy birthday! It was very thoughtful of you!


Now, what do I do with it?

Water feature prominently in most recipes I’ve read. But since I like mine rich, thick and creamy I opted for milk and cream instead. To take the edge off the bitterness of the tableas I’ve added some Cadbury drinking chocolate.


Blogs and cookbooks recommend the use of a batidor (wooden chocolate beater) and a slender pot called tsokolatera, both of which I do not have (note to self: get some on next rip). I ended up using a saucepan and a regular whisk. The end result wasn’t too bad at all.


Hot Chocolate ala Kidpawan

1/2 cup cream
1 cup fresh milk
2 tablets of Dumaguete chocolates
2 teaspoons Cadbury drinking chocolate
2 teaspoons brown sugar


Combine the cream and the milk in a saucepan and heat until just boiling.
Add the chocolates and sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
Top each cup with cream before serving if desired.

Calamansi (Citrofortunella macrocarpa)

One thing I definitely miss ‘bout not living in the Philippines is the fact that I can’t get Calamansi (Citrofortunella macrocarpa) wherever and whenever I want it (which is “all the time”). This citrus variety is by no means non-existent down under but they are not plentiful and they are also seasonal. Calamansi is excellent as a drink and widely used also as a dipping sauce.

I’ve tried to grow my own but for some reason (my non-green thumb, I suppose) I have been less than successful. The fruits of my calamansi shrub fall off before they even mature. Any advice from anyone out there on how I can prevent this from happening?

To make up for how much I missed calamansi I made sure I got a dose of it on a regular basis during a recent trip to the Philippines. Thank God for the couple of calamansi trees in my mother-in-law’s property that are teeming with fruit I literally had access to this prized produce right in my backyard.

To make a glass of calamansi drink you need the following:

4-5 calamansi (you can add or reduce this depending on how tart you want your drink to be)
2 tablespoons of sugar (again, adjust to taste)
Water
Lots of ice

1. Cut the calamansi in half and squeeze the juice into a tall glass. You can get rid of the seeds if you like but I really do not mind them.
2. Add the sugar to the juice and mix well.
3. Add about half a glass of water and mix well.
4. Fill the glass with ice.

Refreshing Rockmelon Drink

March is supposed to be the beginning of autumn in Australia. At 36°C (97°F) today it feels more like the height of summer than onset of fall. Anyways, days like these call for a refreshing glass of ice cold melon drink?

Yes, I did say melon drink. More specifically, a drink made from rockmelon (cantaloupe). I am not really sure if other cultures do this but certainly in the Philippines rockmelon is more popular consumed as a beverage rather than eaten as a fruit. Its popularity I believe stems not only from its refreshing quality but also the absolute simplicity of how it’s made.



Some might think it inconceivable to add water and sugar to a perfectly good fruit. I would not dare do it to pricier melon varieties (a pair of Yubari melons in Japan sold for ¥2.5 million)…actually, I would just to find out if there is a difference. But rockmelon is fairly inexpensive and has enough natural flavour to stand its own.


Here’s how I do it:

Rockmelon Drink

Half a rockmelon grated (using a melon grater, Philippine made)
1 cup brown sugar (adjust this to your liking)
1 litre of water (and this too)
Ice, lots of it

1. Combine all the ingredients together.
2. Pour and drink!