Recipe: Colada Morada from Ecuador

Ingredients:

1 cup purple or black corn flour

14 oz naranjilla or lulo pulp (thawed, if frozen)

2 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh)

2 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)

2 cups strawberries, sliced

1 pineapple, peels and core + 2 cups finely diced

5-6 cinnamon sticks

4-5 whole cloves

4-5 all spice berries

12-14 oz panela or brown sugar

A few lemon verbena leaves, fresh or dry

A few lemongrass leaves, fresh or dry

2 pieces orange peel

8 + 4 cups water

Method:

Place the pineapple skins and core, cinnamon, spices and panela or brown sugar in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Boil for about 20-25 minutes. Add the lemon verbena, lemongrass, and orange peel. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and strain. In a separate pot, add 4 cups of water with the blueberries and blackberries, boil for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool down until safe to handle, blend and strain. Then mix the cup of the purple corn flour with 1 cup of the spiced pineapple liquid until well diluted. Add the strained berry mix, the naranjilla juice, the spiced pineapple liquid and the diluted purple flour mix to a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stir constantly to keep it from sticking and bring to a boil.  Add the pineapple chunks and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the strawberry slices on top. It tastes better if it is prepared a day in advance and is usually served warm, but tastes just as good when served cold.

Recipe presented by Pooja Bhula, Avril-Ann Braganza and Averil Nunes.