By: belenflorez
Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, , , , ,

Locro: Ecuadorian Potato Soup

Locro with avocado and aji

This is a classic Ecuadorian soup! I’ve been wanting to make it for a while and I finally went for it today. I started by asking my mother and my sister how they make it. Funny thing, they don’t make it the same way so I found myself coming up with something based on what they both told me. I knew my husband was going to be happy about this because a couple years ago, he tried this soup in Ecuador and loved it. When he heard that I was making it he was super excited! He also could not help himself from commenting throughout the process! Since he has only ever seen the final product, when he went to the pot and saw the potatoes covered with water he said “Oh no! that is nowhere near ready!”. After about 1h 30min on medium heat, he was finally able to have some. At first, he wanted it plain but he immediately changed his mind and said “I’ll have some avocado with it”. That made me happy because that is exactly how we eat it back home: with a slice of avocado, a spoonful of ají*, and if you want a little cheese.

*Ají: Ecuadorian hot sauce (pronounced a-hee in English)

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings
  • 5 Russet or Idaho Potatoes (approx 2.5 lbs) peel and cut in fourths. Cut the ends of the potatoes to get small pieces that will fall apart as they cook (see picture above)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp margarine
  • 2 tbsp yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp green onion finely chopped (white and light green portion)
  • 1 tsp annatto oil (also known as achiote
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
Locro Ingridients

Directions

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in fourths. Cut the ends of the potatoes to get small pieces that will fall apart as they cook. Set aside

Peeled and cut potatoes

2. Melt the margarine over medium heat in a 4-5 qt pot.

3. Add the green and yellow onion and the annatto oil. Stir for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the potatoes and stir until they get the color from the annatto oil.

5. Add the water, salt and cook for approximately 20 minutes.

Potatoes, yellow onion and annatto oil

6. Stir and lower the flame. Cook for an additional hour stirring frequently. The potatoes will start falling apart to create a thicker consistency. (If it gets too thick add a little water- 1/4 cup at a time)

7. Pour in the milk, mix, and cook for approximately 10 more minutes.

Pour milk into locro

8. Serve hot and enjoy!

Note: If you want it to be parev (non-dairy) omit the milk and use water to make it more liquidy.

Locro