🇪🇨 Ecuador · Ecuadorian Sierra, especially Quito
Locro de papaEcuadorian potato and cheese soup
A creamy Ecuadorian highland soup of potatoes (papa chola), onion and garlic, partly mashed, with milk and fresh cheese stirred in, served with avocado, cilantro and ají.
Origin and history
Ecuadorian press describes locro de papas as a dish of the Andean highlands with pre-Columbian roots, built on the potato native to the region. The name is said to come from the Quechua word lukru, meaning soup, and cheese was added after the Spanish arrived with dairy. It suits the cold of the Sierra and is tied to local festivities.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Total time
- 40 min
- Hands-on
- 25 min
Ingredients
- 1 kg2.2 lb papa chola (floury potatoes; Russet, or Russet mixed with Yukon Gold), peeled, in medium cubes
- 2 tbsp achiote oil (annatto-infused oil), plain oil works but the color is paler
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 4 cups4 cups (1 liter) water or chicken broth
- 1 cup1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 200 g7 oz queso fresco, crumbled
- salt, to taste
- 1 avocado, sliced, to serve
- fresh cilantro, chopped; ají ecuatoriano; toasted corn (maiz tostado), to serve
Method
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1. Warm the achiote oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and cumin for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
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2. Add the potatoes, stir them into the sofrito and cook 5 minutes more.
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3. Pour in the water or broth, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
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4. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the soup, leaving some chunks.
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5. Stir in the milk and the crumbled queso fresco and stir until the cheese melts and the soup is creamy; adjust the salt.
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6. Serve hot with cilantro, avocado slices, ají and toasted corn.
Notes
- Quantities follow an Ecuadorian newspaper recipe for four, which El Oriente's version matches closely (1 kg potatoes, 1 cup milk, 4 cups water or broth); El Oriente also suggests blending a portion of the soup instead of mashing. El Comercio's richer version adds a cup of cream, a spoon of butter and two cubed avocados.
- Choclo (fresh corn) or broad beans make it heartier; fried chorizo and a hard-boiled egg are another way to turn it into a fuller meal.
- If queso fresco is not available, mozzarella or queso de bola melt in the same way (El Oriente suggests them for a stronger flavour).
- Make-ahead: it keeps a day in the refrigerator; loosen with a little milk when reheating.
Adapted from El Diario (Ecuador), Aprende a preparar un rico locro de papas ecuatoriano and El Oriente, Como preparar locro de papa.
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.