Fundación:

Chicha Morada

Purple Corn Punch

Chicha morada is the Peruvian version of an ancient drink used in ritualistic ceremonies by the Incas. It’s made from maíz morado, a variety of dried purple corn that was and still is used both as food and a natural food dye (see page 28). It’s almost the color of the midnight sky, so fantastically inky that it will stain your T-shirt like crazy if you’re not careful (never a problem at my house). In the summer, families keep giant jugs of chicha morada in the fridge—Incan Kool-Aid.

Every home cook has his or her own secret recipe for the punch, but the basic components are the same. You slowly steep maíz morado with leftover pineapple rinds (save them in the fridge for a few days after you slice up the fruit), apples, and spices like cinnamon and cloves. Whatever else goes in the pot is up to you, but I always throw in one of my favorite spices, star anise. The dark purple juice gets livened up with plenty of fresh lime juice and a little sugar or honey.

One bag of dried corn makes a big batch, but the punch goes fast, no matter what your age. When friends come over during the summer, I’ll sometimes pour in a bottle of pisco to make a bowl of (adult) punch for a big batch of ready-made cocktails. Use leftovers of the alcohol-free version to make Marcianos (ice pops, page 236), or Mazamorra Morada (purple corn pudding, page 243).

• 1 (15-ounce) bag maíz morado (2½ or 3 ears)
• Core and rind of 1 pineapple, both top frond and bottom discarded
• 2 large Granny Smith or other tart apples, quartered
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• ¾ cup sugar, honey, or agave syrup, or to taste
• ¾ cup fresh lime juice, or to taste

1 Put the maíz morado, including the cobs and any loose kernels, into a large pasta pot or stockpot. Add the pineapple rinds and core, apples, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, peppercorns, and 5 quarts water. (If your pot is too small for so much water, a little less is fine.) Bring the water to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by a solid inch, about 1 hour.

2 Turn off the heat, stir in the sugar, and let steep for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain the punch into a pitcher and discard the solids. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and add more lime juice and/or sugar, if you’d like. Refrigerate the chicha morada for up to 1 week. Serve the punch over ice.