Drinkable Pudding

Last night we made "Maizena." Maizena (may-i-say-na) translates to cornstarch and is basically a thin vanilla pudding that can be sipped like hot chocolate. The recipe goes something like this:

1 cup milk
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tblsp. sugar

simmer/boil until the cornstarch thickens stirring constantly. Add a few drops of vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt (opt). Of course chocolate, cinnamon or a variety of other flavors can be added for a change of pace.

I was doing a little google research and found that it can be purchased at Mexican grocers in a package and it has an interesting history. The drink is an "atole".

This was a drink I had on my mission in Venezuela and the variations on it included "hot oats" - it was the same recipe as above but instead of cornstarch they used oat flour. Rice flour is also used. It never got cold where I was in Venezuela so I can't say we drank it for warmth but it was a nice hot chocolate substitute.