Mexican Hot Chocolate

Happy National Hot Chocolate Day! Did you know, today 1/31 is the day to enjoy our favorite winter drink! 

 

When I was checking what food holidays are in January, I came across the fact that the day for hot chocolate actually exists and wanted to try new thing for me to celebrate such a wonderful food holiday. Before then, I only heard about Mexican hot chocolate but never tried it even once, so I thought this is the time to give it a try. 

 

When I searched how to make Mexican hot chocolate, I was a little shocked at first about adding cayenne pepper to it. I knew they contained cinnamon powder, but cayenne pepper too? Wow. But shortly after that, it reminded me that Mexican people love spicy food. 

 

When I first arrived in the US as a student, I experienced a homestay program. My host family was an immigrant family from Mexico, so I learned a lot about their food like tacos(that appeared a lot on our dining table back then) ceviche, salsa, and chili on mangoes. 

 

When I saw my host mother sprinkled…no, dumped a packet of cayenne pepper on the fresh mango, I literally screamed. But she was like “Oh don’t worry, there is another packet for you, so you still got some cayenne pepper for you!” She told me Mexican people love spicy food and chili peppers, so they even sprinkles on fresh sweet fruits. 

 

I politely declined it and she understood chili on mango usually gets to be a controversial topic from international students she had, so I personally never tried it even after 15 years passed. But now, long time no see, sweet food/drink with chili! I guess this is the time to try it by myself.

 

Ready to try sweet and hot drinks? Let’s cook!  

 

<Today’s Recipe>

Mexican Hot Chocolate

<Ingredients>

*for 1 person

*May contain Amazon Associate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 1 packet hot cocoa mix
• 180ml hot water
• 60ml oat milk
• Some cinnamon powder
• Some nutmeg powder
• Some cayenne pepper powder
• Optional – Some unsweetened cocoa powder

 

<Directions>

1. Mix all ingredients except cayenne pepper powder and cocoa powder in a pot. Stir well and bring it to medium heat.
2. When the liquid starts to boil, reduce heat to low and sprinkle cayenne pepper powder and unsweetened cocoa powder little by little to adjust taste.
3. Pour cocoa into cups and serve it hot!

 

<Cooking Tips>

Don’t be afraid of a taste test while making it, especially after you sprinkle cayenne pepper! Sometimes your precious Mexican hot chocolate can be a bomb to your mouth and ruin your relaxing time! 

Wow, adding cayenne pepper to a hot chocolate actually tastes good! Also before I know it my body starts to warm up better than when I drink regular hot tea. And it lasted longer than I expected, so this was a nice finding. 

 

People from Europe tend to add some booze to keep their body warm from inside, but doing so prohibits driving for several hours, so for me Mexican Hot Chocolate is a good choice. Considering I like chili in my hot chocolate, maybe this upcoming summer I’m sprinkling(or dumping) a packet of cayenne pepper like my host mother did. 

 

So this is the final day of January, the first month of 2022. How have you all been doing? Cayenne pepper speeds up your metabolism, so for those who aim to lose weight as a new year resolution, this Mexican hot chocolate may help(maybe, maybe, maybe…don’t trust cayenne pepper benefit too much but eat the right amount of food, work out, move, move, and MOVE! 

 

<Other Winter Drink Idea for your Relaxing Time>

Who got a sweet tooth? Berrylicious Cocoa

Boost your immune system! Hot Honey Ginger Lemonade

If it’s your day off, pour a little booze in this! Vienna Coffee

Enjoy home cooking and your own creation of homemade food:)