Julian Gomez (29) and Isabella Castro (28), MSc students of Climate Studies and Urban Environmental Management from Colombia. Photo Sarah Scheid
You encounter all the flavours of the world in the WUR community. Julian Gomez (29) and Isabella Castro (28), MSc students of Climate Studies and Urban Environmental Management from Colombia, share a recipe for Ajiaco.
Julian: ‘This is the soup of my region, Bogota, but it is also one of the most famous soups in Colombia. It reminds me of my childhood and my family. My mother used to make it for our birthdays.’ Isabella: ‘This is a soup you share with your family once a week. We always had this soup on Sundays.’
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
- 400g floury potatoes
- 400g sweet potatoes
- 400g waxy potatoes
- 50g chives
- 300g chicken
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 maize cob
- 2g guascas* (a herb found in Colombia)
- 10g fresh parsley
- 20g fresh coriander leaves
- A pinch of salt
- water
- sunflower oil
[Garnishes and side dishes]
- avocado
- cream
- rice
- capers
Preparation:
- Peel and slice all the potatoes. Then finely chop the chives, onion and garlic.
- Boil the chicken for 20 minutes in water. When it is done, take it out of the pot and keep the water.
- Fry the onion, garlic and chives in sunflower oil. Then add the potatoes and the water from the chicken, adding enough water to cover the vegetables. Let it all simmer for one hour. Stir frequently.
- Shred the cooked chicken finely with a fork.
- Cut the maize into big chunks and add it to the soup. Then chop and add the parsley and coriander and add it too.
- Once the potatoes are soft, season the soup with guascas and salt.
- Ajiaco is best served with as much avocado, capers, crème fraiche and rice as you like.
*Guascas is sometimes known as ‘gallant soldier’ in English
