Roasted Hazelnut Horchata, inspired by Sqirl's Brown Rice Horchata
Editor’s Note
Sqirl is a woman-owned restaurant in LA, that has been affected by the pandemic like thousands of small restaurants across the country. They are currently offering meals and essential goods to industry workers in LA via FamilyMeal.com. They also have their online shop full of goods like their infamous jams and millet granola. If you're able, please support them with a purchase and advocate for other restaurants in your area by purchasing gift cards or takeout. There’s also Roar in New York, which provides relief opportunities for restaurant workers through donations.
This roasted hazelnut horchata is a welcome replacement for the store bought hazelnut flavored creamer you probably never buy. It is a match made for cold brewed coffee, but is equally delicious drizzled over a warm bowl of porridge in the depths of winter. Blitz it with a healthy dose of cacao for a rich and nutty mocha, or simply serve it over ice with a dusting of cinnamon.
Ingredients
½ cup brown rice (white rice works too)
1 ½ cups roasted hazelnuts
½- ¾ cup pitted medjool dates (depending on desired sweetness)
5 cups just boiled water
1 tbsp cinnamon chips (or 1 cinnamon stick)
½ vanilla bean (split lengthwise)
1 dropperful herb pharm cinnamon tincture (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
Directions
Toast cinnamon chips in a small, dry pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Your kitchen should smell irresistibly fragrant when the cinnamon is finished toasting. If using a whole cinnamon stick, simply break it up into smaller pieces after toasting.
In a large bowl, combine the rice, hazelnuts, dates, vanilla bean, toasted cinnamon, salt and boiled water. Set the mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature (4 hours should do it).
Once the mixture has cooled, transfer to a high powered blender. Start at the lowest setting and slowly work your way up to the highest speed. Blend until emulsified, about 3 minutes.
Set a nut milk bag in a bowl large enough to hold your horchata. Pour mixture into the nut milk bag and squeeze out every last drop. Add cinnamon tincture to the bowl of horchata if using. Store, covered, in the fridge until a nose test tells you it’s no longer good (though I guarantee it won’t last that long).
Sources
About the Author
Vilda Gonzalez is the Food Editor at The Thirlby, an avid home cook, and studying to become a holistic nutritionist. She is the founder and chef of Sol-Eir, an ongoing series of alchemized food and beverage experiences. Her mission is to rewire our collective relationship to what eating well truly means; with the highest regard of respect for our body, our community, and our earth. She believes that food should be delicious, flavorful, and indulgent, but it should also be deeply nourishing, regenerative, and inherently healthful. Vilda also works with individuals to strengthen their personal relationships with food through means of intuitive cooking and connection.
