Fancy Navajo Blue Corn Mush Recipe - TheFancyNavajo (2024)
I’ve been feeling a little homesick these days and cooking some of my favorite Navajo foods makes me feel better. Growing up, one thing I always looked forward to each fall was getting blue corn mush while we waited for the Northern Navajo Nation Fair parade to start. I remember waiting patiently outside our vehicle at 6:30am for a parade vendor to walk by with a wagon and a sign that said BLUE CORN MUSH for sale. Usually it was a sweet Navajo grandma who served one heaping spoonful of mush into a Styrofoam cup and asked if you wanted sugar.
It’s such a sweet treat that holds so many happy memories.
Interestingly I didn’t learn how to make blue corn mush until after I graduated college and was living on my own as an adult. Blue corn mush was one of those recipes that we had for special occasions or picked up at a local flea market in the Southwest. I always assumed it was complicated to make, but after asking my mom to show me how to make it. It was quite simple! I get asked quite frequently how to make blue corn mush. So, if you have been wanting to learn how to make blue corn mush stay tuned.
The only complicated part of the recipe is perhaps the ingredients which consist of roasted blue cornmeal and juniper ash. Both of which may be difficult to find depending on where you live. But if you live in the southwest these are common ingredients that can be found at local trading posts and even grocery stores. If you haven’t had blue corn mush, it is similar to cream of wheat and oatmeal. It’s a hot porridge that can be eaten sweet or savory.
Blue corn mush or Tanaashgiizh, in Navajo has a lot of nutrients and calcium from the added juniper ash. So it is a healthy food option. I’ll share an article from NPR, that talks about the benefits and calcium in Juniper Ash here.
There are also other Native tribes and cultures that have a similar dish to Navajo Blue Corn Mush. My bestie shared she grew up eating blue corn atole which is a popular beverage/porridge from Mexico and Central America. I love learning about similarities between recipes with other cultures and have yet to try blue corn atole, but will have to cross that off my list of things to try this year.
You can change up the flavors of blue corn mush based on what you add to it. Long gone are the days of only adding sugar.
My favorite way to eat blue corn mush is sweet. I’ve come a long way from just adding sugar or Splenda to my blue corn mush. Today, I like adding honey, almonds, and raspberries for a fun twist. My husband enjoys eating his blue corn mush savory and likes to add butter and salt. I have even seen some people add it to their soups or add in chile. Both sound wonderfully delicious.
The recipe I am sharing today, is how I learned to make blue corn mush. There are many ways to make this dish, so there is no wrong or right way. That’s pretty much my motto when it comes to cooking. Just try it out and see what happens. I prefer to have a thick mush, so if you want a thinner mush add in extra cup of water. If you don’t have juniper ash, you can still make this dish. The color of the mush may be more of a gray color, but is still delicious.
Just have fun with the recipe and you’ll have to share a picture with me on Instagram or Facebook, if you make this. What is your favorite way to blue corn mush? Are you a savory or sweet mush person? Let me know!
*** If you use this for cultural workshops or food demonstrations please give credit to my website TheFancyNavajo.com. If you are interested in sharing recipes with your company or organization please email me TheFancyNavajo@gmail.com for permission***
Optional toppings – honey, chia seeds, fruits, butter, salt
Directions:
In a medium sized saucepan, boil 2 cups of water with juniper ash.
In a medium sized cup, add in blue corn meal and 1 cup water and mix thoroughly
Turn heat down to medium low and slowly add in blue corn mixture into boiling water and stir until fully combined
Continue to stir blue corn mush for 3 minutes to make sure there aren’t any lumps. Let it boil for another 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and top with your favorite toppings
*** If you use this for personal cultural workshops or food demonstrations please give credit to my website TheFancyNavajo.com. If you are interested in sharing recipes with your company or organization please email me TheFancyNavajo@gmail.com for permission***
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Want to learn how to make more recipes with blue corn? Then head here to learn how to make https://thefancynavajo.com/2017/02/19/fancy-blue-corn-cupcakes/
Aside from its splendid color, blue corn mush is somewhat like cream of wheat. But this traditional Najavo food is more than a simple source of calories and comfort. Thanks to a sprinkling of nutritious juniper ash, it also helps maintain bone health. Many Navajo people are lactose intolerant.
It is typically used in its ground form and cannot be eaten off the cob like yellow corn. In addition to its role as a ceremonial food for the Hopi, blue corn has a wide range of culinary applications, from traditional Mexican dishes like tlacoyos and tamales, to tortilla chips, taco shells, cornbread, and pancake mix.
It was originally developed by the Hopi, the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and several Southeastern tribes, including the Cherokee. It remains an essential part of Hopi dishes like piki bread.
The ash serves as an alkali agent that helps to soften the tough outer shell of the kernels and in turn, boosts the amount of absorbable calcium, niacin, and Vitamin B3 in the corn. Blue corn mush is served hot and is similar in texture to Cream-of-Wheat or oatmeal.
One ear of corn was white, the male corn belonging to First Man. The other ear was yellow, the female corn belonging to First Woman. The gods placed one buckskin on the ground facing west, and on it they placed the two ears of corn with their tips pointing east.
It also has about 20% more protein than yellow corn and a lower glycemic index. This means less sugar spikes and crashes. Anthocyanins found in blue corn contain antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. These may aid the body in fighting inflammatory metabolic and cardiac diseases.
This flavonoid has been shown to reduce the proliferation of several cancer cell lines, and improve memory in animal studies. There's also evidence that the anthocyanin in blue corn can help protect against diabetes.
Compounds called anthocyanins give the corn its blue color, and past research has suggested that these compounds have antioxidant properties that can help to protect against obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
Blue corn is much harder to grow, harvest and source, but we work hard to find the best and we're willing to pay the price. We're proud to be working with Masienda and their heirloom blue corn. It's an homage to the cosmopolitan palate of Mexico City and to all the great taqueros before us.
Blue corn meal and other corns are used in various ceremonies and are offered during personal prayers made to plants and sacred sites when corn pollen isn't available. Corn is embedded in the oral traditional and spiritual cosmology of Dine, as well.
It is typically used in its ground form and cannot be eaten off the cob like yellow corn. Blue corn has a wide range of culinary applications, from traditional Mexican dishes like tacos and tamales to tortilla chips, taco shells, cornbread, and pancake mix.
The content of anthocyanins in the blue corn (maize) have strong antiflammatory and regenerative impact, and they are effective in fighting against free radicals. For its taking part in collagen synthesis, it has positive impact on your skin, hair and nails.
When it comes to nutrients, color matters. Plant pigments are where you'll find natural chemicals called phytonutrients, which carry antioxidants. That's why white or yellow corn has fewer antioxidants than blue or purple corn. (These darker-colored types of corn come in chips or taco shells.)
Later, the dried corn would be ground into cornmeal for use in tortillas, tamales and other meals. Blue corn is still commonly used in many foods today, such as blue corn chips and blue corn pancakes.
Ach'íí' (ach-EE) is a Navajo delicacy made from sheep gut, in which a length of the small intestine is wrapped around a section of colon. It's made immediately after a sheep is butchered and then roasted over an open fire until it's nice and crunchy. - Navajo Times.
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