Traditional Colombian Ajiaco Soup

Ajiaco is a traditional dish from Colombia, specifically from the city of Bogotá, it is a native indigenous dish with more than 500 years of evolution, it has acquired European contributions such as chicken and capers, this dish is an indigenous culinary heritage.

The ajiaco represents the Colombian in the world, it is synonymous with a party since in Christmas dinners or special celebrations it is prepared, if you visit Colombia it is a soup that you have to try without fail in the cold city of Bogota.
The ajiaco is a mixture of different types of potatoes, accompanied by chicken, with the special flavor of guascas, corn, and accompanied by the unmissable avocado.

It is generally served in earthenware bowls.

Ajiaco is a soup that warms your heart.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

800 grams of potato cut into slices.

500 grams of "yellow" Creole potato cut into slices.

500 grams of whole potato.

200 grams of striped arracacha

50 grams of fresh or dried "herb" guascas

3 corn

3 long onions

Salt

Companions:

1 avocado

Capers

Milk cream

White rice

In a pot pour 3 liters of water, turn on high heat until it boils, this will help that when we add our ingredients they will better preserve their nutrients and their flavors.

When the water is boiling we will add the breast previously disinfected and properly washed, the breast will be added whole, with its skin and bone, since what we want is for the breast to release all its substance and the skin will give us the only fat that we will add to Soup

We will choose 3 tender corn, which we will cut in half or as we see fit, and we will add them 5 minutes after adding the pachuga. The corn will give a delicious flavor to our ajiaco soup.

Additionally add salt to taste.

The way in which we will add the characteristic flavor of the ajiaco will be through a kind of bouquet, where we will tie the guascas together with the long onion, this will make all the juices remain completely in our soup, since when we chop the onion most of the juices of this are left on the chopping board.

The special thing about the Colombian ajiaco is that it would not be ajiaco if it did not carry the guascas, these plants give all the characteristic flavor of this recipe, it really is a unique flavor and that just by smelling it or taking a spoonful you will know that it is an incredible Colombian ajiaco.
Really the most important thing in this recipe are the guascas.

Then add the potatoes previously washed, peeled and cut into slices, I use a type of Colombian potato called papa pastusa, which dissolves easily, but you can use any type of potato found in your country that is easily dissolved, it may be the one used to prepare purees.

Add the other type of potato, in Colombia it is known as papa criolla, it is a small yellow potato, it must also be cut into slices and added to the ajiaco soup. This will provide the characteristic yellow color of the ajiaco.
What these 2 types of potatoes that were added in slices will do is thicken the ajiaco soup.

After 40 minutes of cooking, we take great care not to burn ourselves and with the help of a fork we remove the breast, let it cool and shred the chicken.

This step is optional
Peel an arracacha, scratch it and add it, I love the flavor of the arracacha.
Stir several times to make the potatoes fall apart

Then peel the potato and add it whole, it should be left to cook for 20 minutes until soft, without falling apart, since it will be served whole.
Turn off the heat and serve.

Generally the ajiaco is served in clay bowls, like the one seen in the photos. In this case, to decorate my ajiaco, I also put a corn on a Skewer.

Add shredded chicken.

Add heavy cream to taste.

Add capers to taste.

In Colombia the ajiaco is always accompanied with avocado, the avocado is an inpresendible ingredient of the ajiaco.
Cut an avocado and decorate to taste, you can simply cut it in half or make something special with it.

Accompany with white rice.

I invite you to make this Colombian soup recipe, it is really worth it, with very few ingredients ajiaco is a delicious soup.