Serves 10
This traditional dessert from Lima shares its funny name (it sounds like shampoo), with a local fruit. Originally, it was served as a hot beverage during cold winter nights. During the Spanish Colonial period, it was typical to hear the champuceras (women who prepared and sold champuz on the streets) announcing their product.
8 ounces mote (hominy)
½ pineapple, peeled and chopped
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
1 quince, peeled and chopped
½ cup corn flour
1 soursop (guanábana), peeled, seeded, and chopped
Ground cinnamon
1. Soak the mote overnight, in a bowl full of water. You can even soak it for 2 days, changing the water a couple times, to soften the mote even more.
2. Drain, change the water, and cook partially covered, until the mote is soft. This may take about 2 hours. Turn off the heat, drain, and reserve.
3. Put the pineapple, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in another saucepan filled with boiling water. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the apples and quince, and cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Put the corn flour in a bowl, and add a little water. Mix until the flour is completely dissolved and without lumps. Add to the saucepan where the fruit is cooking, together with the soursop (guanábana) and the cooked mote, and cook for 5 extra minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Serve in tall glasses, warm or at room temperature, and sprinkled with ground cinnamon.
7. You can also put it in the refrigerator once it has cooled, and warm it again before eating.
The usual fruit used to make this recipe is soursop, which is similar to cherimoya, but less sweet. The latter could be a good substitute if soursop is not available. We added apples to this recipe, even though it´s usually made just with pineapple, quince, and soursop.