Do you have a recipe that every time you make it, it transports you to a certain time in your life? I do, and this is the recipe that makes me think about my Mamá Mila in her kitchen in Culiacan, Sinaloa. She used to make this for me every time we spent Christmas with her. She would make a big jar just for me and we would travel back to Ensenada with it. I loved to eat it mixed with milk for supper. The recipe, although originally from Puebla, a state in centre of the country, is nowadays made all around Mexico. It is called en tacha, because the pot used to make raw sugar out of the sugar cane is called a tacha.
Although Mamá Mila used to make this with pumpkin, this recipe can also be done with sweet potato, which I find is readily available throughout the year in supermarkets. The delicious spiced syrup takes the sweet potato to the next level.
This recipe can be made with pumpkin in place of the sweet potato. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.
This recipe is from Norteña: authentic family recipes from the north of Mexico by Karla Zazueta (Pavilion Books).
Next up, why not try more Mexican recipes from the House & Garden archive?
