Ajiaco (pronounced ah-he-ah-co) is Colombian soup that is characterized by having chicken, guascas, and three types of potato. It is usually garnished with slices of avocado, sour cream, and capers. This soup is very popular in the Colombian capital of Bogota.
I was inspired after watching Chef Luz Dary Cogollo on Netflix’s Street Food and decided to make my own vegetarian version by removing the chicken and adding a ton of veggies. The result is this beautiful green soup!
Lastly, this soup is vegan if you omit the sour cream or use a vegan sour cream!
What You’ll Need:
- 2 corns on the husk (snapped in half for a total of 4 pieces)
- 1 lime
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 4 cups of water
- 2 cups of whole papa criolla or baby gold potatoes (about 8)
- 1 cup of frozen kale
- 1 cup of loosely packed diced white onion
- 1 cup of whole green beans cut into thirds
- ¾ cup of diced white potatoes
- ¾ cup of diced red potatoes
- ½ cup of dried guascas
- ¼ cup of finely diced green onions
- ¼ cup of sliced baby carrots
- ¼ cup of diced mushrooms
- 3 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons of minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
- Toppings: avocado slices, capers, sour cream, and a side of rice
Directions:
- Heat a large deep pot to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the white onion and sauté for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and sprinkle with salt. In the last minute of cooking add the garlic and cook for the remaining minute.
- Then, add the veggie broth and water and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add the white potatoes, red potatoes, papa criolla, and carrots and cook for about 12 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to medium and add the corn, frozen kale, guascas, green beans, green onions, mushroom, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Cover with a lid and let cook for 6 minutes.
- Check to ensure the potatoes and corn are tender by using a fork to poke through.
- Add the juice of one lime and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Then, take this time to adjust. Add more liquid if you’re going for a more brothy soup and season to taste.
- Top each bowl/serving with dollop of sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, avocado, and capers.
- Yields 5-8 servings
