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Photo: Vianney Rodriguez/Jason David Page
Active Time:10 minsTotal Time:1 hrServings:8Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:10 minsTotal Time:1 hrServings:8
Active Time:10 mins
Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr
Servings:8
Servings:
8
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
My tía and cousin played tour guides as we walked the streets of La Paz. Seeing the city for the first time as an adult, I was a collector of images: indigenous women in their beautiful silks and bowler hats, the vegetable market with its dizzying variety of stacks of herbs and produce—much of it particular to this region of the world, like chuño, freeze-dried potato.
I kept looking for my father without knowing it. I regarded the backs of the heads of strangers as if when they turned around, I just might see his face looking into mine. Out of their mouths, I heard my father with his particular lilt of Spanish, so different from my Mexican relatives. This place had given a piece of him back to me.
And it was on that trip that I first encountered chupe, a stew with origins in the Andean region of South America. My father had introduced me to the salteña, the Bolivian soup dumpling of the empanada world, at a young age, and also to his mother’s huminta, a fresh corn tamal that lights up my taste buds with pure delight. But a chupe never made the cut.
On one of our walks, my husband and I ducked into a café not far from touristy Calle Sagárnaga for an impromptu date night. I ordered a bowl of chupe de quinoa, which so thoroughly comforted me that, as I ate it, I tried to imprint its flavors and textures into my mind to take home like the souvenirs folded in my bag. Bolivian staples of potato and choclo (South American corn with giant kernels) teemed in the broth along with cubed quesillo (a type of cheese), tender from the heat but still intact. I’d ordered the chupe because of the quinoa—how often would I get to eat this pseudocereal in the place where it’s a local ingredient? But I didn’t realize until later that it gave me an integral food memory, a taste of a place that I love that I never know when I will visit again.
The thing about a chupe is that it’s a fortifying meal with a jumble of ingredients. It makes me think of the diversity of people who call La Paz home. I never would have counted myself among them, at times feeling very much the outsider, and yet I unlocked a part of myself on that trip, as if La Paz had always been the key.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)Ingredients1smallyellow onion, peeled and quartered1smallgreen bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered1clovegarlic, peeled3tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil1 ¼teaspoonssalt, divided2tablespoonsground ají amarillo (see Tip)1teaspoonground coriander1largerusset potato, peeled and diced, divided7cupswater, divided1cupred quinoa, rinsed1tablespoonvegetable bouillon paste whisked into 1 cup boiling water2cupsfrozen shelled edamame, thawed,orshelled fresh fava beans1cupcorn kernels1tablespoonchopped fresh mint1cupcubed panela cheese (3/4-inch; see Tip)
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
1smallyellow onion, peeled and quartered
1smallgreen bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
1clovegarlic, peeled
3tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼teaspoonssalt, divided
2tablespoonsground ají amarillo (see Tip)
1teaspoonground coriander
1largerusset potato, peeled and diced, divided
7cupswater, divided
1cupred quinoa, rinsed
1tablespoonvegetable bouillon paste whisked into 1 cup boiling water
2cupsfrozen shelled edamame, thawed,orshelled fresh fava beans
1cupcorn kernels
1tablespoonchopped fresh mint
1cupcubed panela cheese (3/4-inch; see Tip)
DirectionsCombine onion, bell pepper and garlic in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles a chunky paste, about 10 pulses.Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ají amarillo, coriander and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of the potatoes and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes easily fall apart, about 15 minutes.Transfer the mixture to the food processor for a quick puree before pouring it back into the pot (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). (Alternatively, mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher.)Add the remaining potatoes, quinoa, bouillon broth and the remaining 5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is not quite tender, about 12 minutes.Add edamame (or fava beans), corn and mint; simmer for 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with cheese.To make aheadRefrigerate for up to 3 days. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.TipsAjí amarillois a yellow chile pepper from Peru. It lends gentle, fruity heat and a sunny hue to any dish it’s used in. Look for ground dried ají amarillo in Latin markets or online.Panela cheeseis a soft cow’s-milk cheese with a creamy texture. Look for it in the specialty cheese section of well-stocked supermarkets or at Hispanic markets. Cotija cheese also works in a pinch.Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, October 2022
Directions
Combine onion, bell pepper and garlic in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles a chunky paste, about 10 pulses.Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ají amarillo, coriander and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of the potatoes and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes easily fall apart, about 15 minutes.Transfer the mixture to the food processor for a quick puree before pouring it back into the pot (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). (Alternatively, mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher.)Add the remaining potatoes, quinoa, bouillon broth and the remaining 5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is not quite tender, about 12 minutes.Add edamame (or fava beans), corn and mint; simmer for 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with cheese.To make aheadRefrigerate for up to 3 days. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.TipsAjí amarillois a yellow chile pepper from Peru. It lends gentle, fruity heat and a sunny hue to any dish it’s used in. Look for ground dried ají amarillo in Latin markets or online.Panela cheeseis a soft cow’s-milk cheese with a creamy texture. Look for it in the specialty cheese section of well-stocked supermarkets or at Hispanic markets. Cotija cheese also works in a pinch.
Combine onion, bell pepper and garlic in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles a chunky paste, about 10 pulses.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ají amarillo, coriander and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of the potatoes and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes easily fall apart, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the food processor for a quick puree before pouring it back into the pot (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). (Alternatively, mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher.)
Add the remaining potatoes, quinoa, bouillon broth and the remaining 5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is not quite tender, about 12 minutes.
Add edamame (or fava beans), corn and mint; simmer for 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with cheese.
To make ahead
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.
Tips
Ají amarillois a yellow chile pepper from Peru. It lends gentle, fruity heat and a sunny hue to any dish it’s used in. Look for ground dried ají amarillo in Latin markets or online.
Panela cheeseis a soft cow’s-milk cheese with a creamy texture. Look for it in the specialty cheese section of well-stocked supermarkets or at Hispanic markets. Cotija cheese also works in a pinch.
Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, October 2022
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Nutrition Facts(per serving)282Calories12gFat32gCarbs12gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
