"Cooking With Ai Mei" - Cebada con Piña Drink

Cebada is a typical drink we make in Nicaragua and can be found in many other Latin American countries. Cebada drink is made from Barley, which would make most think about beer or whiskey, however, cebada is a non-alcoholic drink. This particular drink we made is called Cebada con Piña (Barley w/ Pineapple) with a certain type of barley, but it would be difficult to find that here in the U.S. so we use the powder which comes in a bag. 

If you go out to your local grocery store, make sure you look for it in the Latin America or Ethnic aisle. Brand name doesn't matter, all cebada powder is the same and almost always is available in a pink bag.

Recipe:

■ Bag of Cebada Powder Drink Mix, any brand

■ Water, (depends on mix)

■ Sugar, (1½ - 2 cups)

■ Vanilla Extract, (1 teaspoon)

■ Pineapple Slices, (1 or 2 cans)

■ Cinnamon Sticks, (2 or 3)

Directions:

1. To make the drink we add whole allspice, cinnamon sticks and liquefy some pineapple slices. 
2. We then add water and the powder on medium-heat for about 40min. then pour and strain in a pitcher
3. Add vanilla extract and sugar to your liking.
   
4. Let is cool by letting is sit out, adding some ice cubes or putting it in the fridge. 

If you manage to find the Cebada Powder drink mix in your stores, it will tell you how much water to add. :)

After it has cooled you can add some rum and garnish it with a cinnamon stick, a pineapple or lime slice. The drink is absolutely delicious, I have grown up with it all my life. I love where my parents were born and raised, it has allowed me to have a unique culture with food and drinks to die for! They may sound exotic to others, but to me, they represent my comfort food/drink :)

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I hope you guys try this and enjoy it. If you've never tried it I bet you will love it! :) I hope to have more of these "Cooking With Ai Mei" posts in the future.

"Cooking With Ai Mei" - Arroz Con Leche

(Photo Credit: Creativegan.net Gracias!)

Sure, treats like Hot Chocolate are great during these cold Holidays, but I prefer something else. Arroz con Leche, which translates to "Rice Pudding" (literally, rice with milk). It is one of the most common desserts in nearly all Latin American countries. The origin of this dessert is unknown, but most likely was brought over to Latin America from Spain. There are very many variations of this dessert, but if you want the simplest form, its just milk and rice. Here is my version with variations we usually make.

Recipe:

■ Rice, any type (1 cup)

■ Milk, (2½ - 3 cups)

■ Water, (1 cup)

■ Sugar, (1½ - 2 cups)

■ Vanilla Extract, (1 teaspoon)

■ Cinnamon Stick, 1

■ Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil on medium-heat. Throw in 1 stick of cinnamon.
2. Wash 1 cup of rice and pour it into the saucepan and reduce the heat to low and let simmer. Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Its important to boil the rice in water before adding the milk, it will speed up the process to soften the rice.
3. Add the 2½ cups of milk to the saucepan, stirring frequently on low-heat. As the rice absorbs the milk you can add more if you you want a more liquid consistency. Let simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes and add 1½ - 2 cups of Sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or add both to your liking).
4. Let simmer for about 10 - 15 more minutes, or until rice is tender and its reached a consistency you like.

Now, serve nice and hot with some ground cinnamon on top. You can also leave it out and let it cool and eat it that way too, which is the way I prefer :)

Variations: With the recipe above, we sometimes add raisins which we soak in rum (Flor De Caña, Gran Reserva). Also, we sometimes add some butter, nutmeg, we add orange and.or lemon peel during step one and remove it around step 3. Other variations around Latin America include the addition of sweetened condensed milk, which replaces or combines the sugar; adding coconut milk instead of regular white milk; the addition of nutmeg, lemon or orange zest and crushed pineapple is also common. 

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I hope you guys try this and enjoy it. This dessert is readily available to buy at many stores, but when YOU make it, you get a great treat and satisfaction. Oh, and bragging rights! :) I hope to have more of these "Cooking With Ai Mei" posts in the future.