A creamy Brazilian porridge of hominy corn simmered in coconut milk and sweetened milk, spiced with cinnamon, a beloved June festival treat.
Canjica is a traditional Brazilian sweet porridge made from white hominy corn (also called canjica in some regions, or munguza with different corn types elsewhere in Brazil), simmered slowly with coconut milk, regular milk, and sugar until thick and creamy, finished with a generous dusting of cinnamon. It's most closely associated with the Festas Juninas, Brazil's June festivals celebrating rural harvest traditions, when canjica is sold at street stalls and made in home kitchens across the country. The technique that matters is the long simmer: dried white corn needs to be soaked overnight and then cooked for well over an hour until the kernels soften completely and begin to break down slightly, thickening the milk around them into a creamy, porridge-like consistency. Coconut milk added partway through gives canjica its distinctive richness and subtle tropical flavor, distinguishing it from plainer corn porridges found elsewhere. Served warm or chilled in bowls, dusted generously with cinnamon, canjica is festival food and home comfort food both -- sweet, warming, and deeply tied to Brazilian rural and harvest traditions.
Serves 6
Drain soaked corn and combine with water, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 60-75 minutes until the corn kernels are very soft and starting to break down.
Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Add coconut milk, whole milk, sugar, and salt.
Simmer 20-25 more minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened to a creamy porridge consistency.
Taste and adjust sugar as needed.
Ladle into bowls, dust generously with ground cinnamon, and top with shredded coconut if using. Serve warm or chilled.
Soak the dried corn overnight without skipping this step -- unsoaked corn can take several hours longer to soften properly.
Stir frequently once the dairy is added, as the mixture can catch and scorch on the bottom of the pot.
Adjust the final consistency with extra milk if it's too thick, or simmer longer if too thin -- canjica should be a thick, spoonable porridge.
Use canned hominy for a faster version, adjusting simmer time down significantly since it's already cooked.
Add a can of sweetened condensed milk for an even richer, sweeter version common in some households.
Serve chilled in the summer instead of warm, a popular way to enjoy leftovers.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; it thickens further when chilled. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of milk to loosen it.
Canjica is deeply tied to Brazil's Festas Juninas, June festivals celebrating rural and harvest traditions with roots in Portuguese Catholic saints' days, where it's traditionally sold alongside other corn-based treats at street festivals.
Regionally, the names and specific corn types used can vary across Brazil, but they generally refer to the same style of sweet, coconut-milk-based corn porridge.
Yes -- drain and rinse canned hominy, then simmer with the dairy ingredients for about 25-30 minutes, skipping the long initial cooking of dried corn.
The corn likely wasn't soaked long enough or simmered long enough in the initial water stage. Give it a full overnight soak and be patient with the first hour of simmering before adding dairy.
Per serving (280g / 9.9 oz) · 6 servings total
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