Name: La barranca (mazamorra de arroz): a warm rice colada from Popayán
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 180 g short- or medium-grain white rice, rinsed until the water is mostly clear; 1.2 L water; 2 fresh orange leaves, clean and food-grade, lightly bruised; use dried culinary leaves only as directed on their package; 1 cinnamon stick, about 7 cm; 1 small piece of tatamuco stem, optional; use only a food-grade product positively identified by a trusted supplier; 120 g panela, finely grated; 800 ml pasteurized whole milk, divided; 1 g fine salt, optional

La barranca (mazamorra de arroz): a warm rice colada from Popayán

Region Popayán, Cauca, in Colombia’s Andean region

Category Warm sweet rice soup or spoonable colada

Yield 4 bowls

Prep time 10 minutes

Active time 20 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

La barranca (mazamorra de arroz): a warm rice colada from Popayán

A gently spiced, spoonable rice-and-milk preparation sweetened with panela, adapted from a documented Cauca household dish.

La barranca, also called mazamorra de arroz in the Popayán record, is described as a soup or colada made with rice, orange leaves, cinnamon, tatamuco stems, grated panela and milk. The documented list is brief and gives no quantities or complete method. This measured home version keeps those named elements where they can be used safely and explains where a careful cook must make a practical choice.

The result should be warm and loose enough to pour from a ladle, with tender rice that releases starch into the milk. It is not meant to set like rice pudding. The rice is simmered in water first so it becomes soft before milk is added; panela sweetens the pot, while citrus leaf and cinnamon provide a restrained fragrance.

Tatamuco is not reliably identified in the available culinary evidence. Do not collect a wild stem or guess at a substitute. Use it only when a trusted local culinary supplier can positively identify a food-grade product; otherwise leave it out. The Popayán preparation is also distinct from a rice mazamorra documented in Magüí Payán, Nariño, which uses coconut milk.

Ingredients

La barranca (mazamorra de arroz)

180 g short- or medium-grain white rice, rinsed until the water is mostly clear
1.2 L water
2 fresh orange leaves, clean and food-grade, lightly bruised; use dried culinary leaves only as directed on their package
1 cinnamon stick, about 7 cm
1 small piece of tatamuco stem, optional; use only a food-grade product positively identified by a trusted supplier
120 g panela, finely grated
800 ml pasteurized whole milk, divided
1 g fine salt, optional

Method

Rinse and assemble Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear, then drain. Put it in a heavy saucepan with the water, orange leaves and cinnamon. Add tatamuco only if it is a positively identified food-grade culinary product. Keep the remaining milk refrigerated.
Simmer the rice Bring the pot just to a boil over medium heat. Stir once, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cover partly, leaving room for steam to escape. Cook for 30–35 minutes, stirring and scraping the base every few minutes. The grains should be very tender and beginning to break at the edges. Add a little hot water if the mixture becomes thick before the rice softens.
Remove the aromatics Lift out and discard the leaves, cinnamon and tatamuco stem, if used. Check that no stem fragments remain. Keep the rice loose; it will thicken further as it rests.
Dissolve the panela Stir in the grated panela until no firm pieces remain. Taste only after it dissolves, since panela sweetness varies. Keep the heat low enough that the bottom does not catch.
Finish gently with milk Pour in 600 ml of the milk gradually while stirring. Simmer gently for 5–8 minutes, without a hard boil, until the rice is soft and the liquid coats a spoon but still flows easily. Stir frequently, especially along the bottom and corners of the pot.
Adjust and serve Taste and add the optional pinch of salt if it helps balance the sweetness. Thin with some or all of the remaining 200 ml milk until the colada is loose and spoonable. Serve warm in bowls. It thickens as it stands, so reserve extra milk for loosening at the table.
Cool and store safely Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking. Keep cold and use within 3–4 days. Reheat gently, stirring often, until steaming throughout; add milk or water to restore the consistency. Do not leave cooked rice at room temperature for a prolonged period.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Recipe-based estimates, not laboratory analysis. Milk fat and panela composition vary; optional accompaniments are excluded. These estimates exclude the optional added salt; sodium will be higher if you use it.

Practical guidance

Choose the citrus leaves carefully: Use leaves sold for culinary use or gathered from a known, untreated food plant. Rinse them under clean running water and lightly bruise them to release aroma. Sour-orange leaves are named in the documented ingredient list; if unavailable, omit them rather than claiming a different leaf is identical. Treat tatamuco as optional: The available source names tatamuco stems but does not establish a dependable botanical identity or household quantity. A cook should not forage, taste-test or substitute an unknown plant. If a trusted local culinary supplier cannot positively identify a food-grade stem, omit it. The dish will lack that particular aroma but remains a safe measured adaptation. Keep the pot loose: Rice absorbs liquid while cooking and again as the colada cools. Stir and scrape frequently, and add hot water during the first simmer if needed. After the milk is added, use low heat and avoid a rolling boil, which can scorch the milk and make the texture uneven. Serve warm, not set: This preparation is intended to be ladled and eaten with a spoon. If it becomes too thick before serving, stir in warm milk a little at a time. Do not judge the final consistency while it is bubbling; it thickens as the temperature falls. Handle rice leftovers promptly: Cooked rice can support Bacillus cereus growth when held too long at room temperature. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Reheat only the portion needed, stirring until steaming throughout, and do not repeatedly cool and reheat the whole pot. Allergens: Milk. Check packaged panela or dried leaves for cross-contact statements if relevant. Food safety: Use pasteurized milk and clean, food-grade citrus leaves. Omit unidentified tatamuco; do not forage. Chill rice-and-milk leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and reheat until steaming.

Final notes

Remember 1: La barranca is presented here as the Popayán rice colada described in Cauca, with its measured proportions clearly treated as a home adaptation. Remember 2: The identifying citrus leaf, cinnamon, panela and milk shape its gentle aroma and sweet, loose texture; tatamuco is included only when its food safety is certain.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basis: One of 4 servings; recipe only
Calories: 400 kcal
Carbohydrate: 75 g
Protein: 10 g
Fat: 7 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sodium: 95 mg

La barranca (mazamorra de arroz): a warm rice colada from Popayán

Ingredients

La barranca (mazamorra de arroz)

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

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Preparación de cuy — whole oven-baked cuy with its own viscera

Sopa de arroz con gallina — Colombian rice soup with stewing hen