“Ajiaco Oriental” is our Cuban soup of the day.
“Ajiaco Oriental nuestra sopa del dia!”
This typical Cuban soup is cheap, delicious and nutritious!
Ajiaco Oriental is so named because it’s from the orient of Cuba, down in the region of Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa! It’s so good and popular that it’s made the length and breadth of the island in markets and at home.
First you need to go to the farmers market and buy your ingredients!
No meal in Cuba is complete without meat and beef is the key ingredient in this dish! There are some standard ingredients and others you can throw in to your taste and budget!
**Major supermarket in the UK now have a general selection of Caribbean foods but in more remote parts of the British Isles some of the ingredients will have to substituted for other similar vegetables.
Ingredients
Beef of some sort – Carne de res
Yam – Yuca
Sweet potato – Boniato
Pumpkin – Calabaza
Taro – Malanga ….possibly not available in UK, it’s a root tuber.
Potatoes – Papas
Plantain green or ripe – Plátano verde o madura
Sweet corn – Maize
Peppers – Ajies
Onions – Cebolla
Mexican Coriander or Coriander (fresh) – Cilantro o Culantro
Garlic – Ajo
Lemon juice – Limon (in Cuba its Lime)
Tomato puree – Puré de Tomate
Chopped tomatoes – Tomate en torsos
+ Plus any other vegetables and flavouring spices and herbs that you like!!!
A little oil + Salt and pepper!
In Cuba the majority of the people have basic utensils and basic cooking facilities, so this is a “one pot soup”
Choose a nice big pot with a lid if it has one!
1. Cover the bottom of the pan with oil and add finely chopped onions and crushed garlic and cook gently to extract the flavours and soften the onion.
2. Turn the heat up a bit and add your shredded beef next!
Once the meat is browned, turn the heat down again and begin adding the other ingredients well chopped up into small pieces.
3. Let it all simmer adding more water as needed. As the vegetables begin to soften and break up you will be delighted to find a thick tasty broth!
Join us in Cuba for Ajiaco Oriental this year
A Cuban Snapshot 7 days tour.
https://encompasstours.com/tours/a-cuban-snapshot-7-days/
Mi Cubita 14 days tour
https://encompasstours.com/tours/mi-cubita-cuba14-days/
