The reason there are so many potato varieties in the Andes is because of the ingenuity of the pre-colonial tuber farmers. They used a different variety for each soil type, altiude or climate. Producing alot of varieties that were sturdy and resilient against pests. This original agricultural system made potatoes into a crop that could be grown all across the rest of the world, and one of the most successful foods to prevent famines. It's not just an underrated cuisine, but a very underrated culture!
This is not the only reason. The physical geography of diversity of altitudes and mountainous terrain along with the vast diversity of soil types create a multitude of microclimates for numerous reasons-enabling a vast diversity of plants (in this case potato cultivars) to be grown in this region.
i knew the pre-colonial cultures developed lots of different varieties of plants, but, for some reason, i always thought there were always that many different kinds of potatoes. thank you for the information! do you have a book indication of where I could read more?
As a Colombian that has tried (many times) to explain typical Colombian food to foreigners, I want to give you soooo much credit for how good of a job you do at not only making the food but talking about it. Loving your content!
I passed by you at the market last week! Saw you were with your family so didn't want to disturb you, but I wanted to say thank you Kenji, you made a great impact on my life this past year.
As a first generation Colombian American that learned to cook through your cookbook and videos, I'm loving all the Colombian cuisine you're showing to all your viewers. My family is from barranquilla so I'm not too familiar with this soup, we ate mostly sancocho. I'll piggyback other comments and we'd all love a bandeja paisa video!
What you're saying is an important point for food from any country. For example: Americans think they know Chinese food. They haven't scraped the tip of the iceberg. China is a HUGE country with vast diversity of geography which allows for a vast diversity of microclimates in which to grow plants. Even one small village can have a signature dish they are famous for. With 34 iconic provinces hundreds and hundreds of regions and thousands of villages, to learn Chinese food would take several lifetimes. As Anthony Bourdain once said: "he one thing I know for sure about China is I will never know China. It's too big, too old, too diverse, too deep. There's simply not enough time. That's for me the joy of China, facing a learning curve that impossibly steep.."
The point about variety and country of origin is something I felt in my bones. I'm south Indian and just saying banana or spinach is so weird to me. I could go to any street fruit vendor and buy 8 different varieties of bananas. Each taste different and unique. Same with spinach. Very regularly we have 6 different spinaches at local groceries. Flavour and texture vary wildly. Its not uncommon to have some variety every day as part of our meal. But we get just potatoes and apples. The potatoes arent sorted. They're sometimes Yukon gold style and sometimes something related to a russet, but all bought and sold simply as potato. We get one variety of apple. Sometimes it's red delicious, sometimes it's more tart but always sold simply as apple...
I would love to learn about more of the Indian types of spinach varieties. What are their names? I love greens and the Indian way of cooking greens is amazing.
@@Pammellam lol pretty much any leaf that isn't straight poisonous can be considered a spinach. also, whereas in western cuisine, spinach can be prepared cooked or raw (like in salads or pestos etc), in indian cuisine (or at least what i have experience with, india is such a vast region with so many ppl it's hard to generalize) it's always cooked. some leaves (like the ones from pumpkin or squash) have a velvety texture before being cooked and are a tougher mouthfeel while others are so smooth that the break down into almost a sauce-like consistency just by steaming it for a while. my personal favorite variety is called 'laal saag' or 'red spinach' and it was this leaf that was almost maroon in color and would stain the rice red when you'd eat it together. growing up in upstate ny, my parents had very little access to indian markets but about once or twice a month, they'd head down to nyc for a shopping trip to get the desi essentials. i was always excited when they brought back the red spinach hehe.
@@nightingale4786 ::: I live in Japan and there are also many different kinds of greens here as well. Most of them are eaten cooked. But I think India must have the most variety! And I think India probably has the most interesting way to cook all of his greens as well.
I looked up “soldier weed” and I found articles about cannabis in the military. I looked up “potato weed” and found shirts saying “get baked” with a bloodshot eyed potato.
@@krispbacon9474 Na man, they get views for that exact reason, because they aren't cooks and they have different opinions than the pros. Kenji is the 🐐 though.
Hey man! Just wanted to say that you really do know Colombia. Your explanation isn't just a run of the mill affair. I can tell you took the time to travel, explore, and most importantly understand the culture. Awesome job
My preschooler has been begging me to make “the soup with the corn from Encanto”, so I am very glad to find this recipe AND especially that you included substitutes for some of the Andean ingredients. We get a lot of different types of potatoes in the Netherlands, but not all of the ones traditionally used in the Colombian kitchen 😅 (I will also have to translate those US types of potatoes to our local varieties, but we live and learn 👍)
Hi! Just came here from a reddit post, and Im a guy from Colombia who happens to absolutely love cooking, and ajiaco is something our family has made since a long time ago, so if you want some tips/comments just hit me up! BTW, great job! looks delicious! hint #1: dont mix the pastusa/sabanera potatos. each kind of potato goes in the pot at different times, and each one gets sliced in a different way, also you want to peel them, keep them whole and let them sit in water for 15sh minutes, then slice or dice. hint#2: do not use chicken broth, put in a couple wings or legs, and just water, salt and some pepper. keep it boiling for a long time, replenish water as needed, you want a lot of chicken flavor, then you add the breast(breast is usually taken out before serving, pulled like pulled pork, and served over the soup, but evryone gets a leg/wing) cilantro is higly recommended, but bay leaves not at all. hint3# "papa criolla goes in first, you may cut it in halves, or slices depending on the size, you want them to dissolve, this will give the "body" to your soup, so the smaller you cut it, the faster it will dissolve, keep the heat on low here... also, if you get ahold of cummins, well yeah go crazy on them, every damn colombian dish relies on cummins, whole or powdered is ok, but for ajiaco powdered is better. hint#4, I guess we should just chat up!
I've been dying to make this soup since I went to Colombia 2 years ago. My wife is Colombian, and needless to say I've fallen in love with the food too. Thank you for posting this recipe!
My local Latin market has frozen packs with all the ingredients including guasca leaves - just add stock, chicken, and toppings. It is from abuela Emilia (Ajiaco Santaferiño mix)
Mine too. I just hate that there was 2 brands. One had the Colombian corn and the other the US corn. I can’t seem to find the one with the Colombian corn anymore.
watched this video this morning and found out i have a Latin supermarket in my town that sold the specialty ingredients needed. I have a pot of this simmering away for dinner as I type this comment. Smells and tastes amazing. Thanks Kenji!
Up here in the frozen north, Galinsoga (quickweed, gallant soldier, potato weed) grows as a weed in gardens everywhere, most gardeners pull it, and have no idea what they are missing. Our local potato, ham, and corn soup (Sort of like an Ajiaco nortamericano) benefits a lot from the addition of the plant to the pot.
Traveling outside of the states is one of the BEST ways to open your eyes to new cuisine. I took a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos a few years ago, and I will never forget the food there. Completely different cultures and environments lead to some really neat food.
Very compelling, great job explaining the differences in the ingredients you can use in the states and giving some information about the soup and the country.
Two precisions: We ussually serve this soup with a serving of rice alongside and to garnish the ajiaco, we use plain cream, not suero or sourcream. Everything else was magnificent. I loved it! And the fact that you found guascas was amazing, this soup doesn't taste the same with out them.
Hey Kenji - now that you live in Seattle, there's a great potato farmer at the Ballard Farmer's Market who has a lot of varieties. I haven't checked for criolla but every other time a recipe has called for a particular variety of potato, I've been able to find it there.
I watched this over lunch with my folks, we're all from Bogotá, they approved and said it looks fantastic, we'd love to see you have a crack at a Bandeja Paisa. Also thanks for that shout in the description, Temblores is doing amazing and necessary work.
I loved this dish. I would have never known about it if it wasn’t for this video. This one was very very good. My grandma enjoyed it a lot. Thanks Kenji!
Always a pleasure seeing the Colombian recipes you make. Pretty much nailed everything, you can find ajiaco pretty much in every city of Colombia you go, but Bogotá's it's supposed to be the best one (I don't think so). For anyone interested in making this soup the ingredients varie from city to city because the weather is so different, in the northern coast we use a slimmer corn less, you can use any type of corn you can find, and what we call "bastimento" here Wich is everything that thickens the soup, the potatoes and all the starchy goodness, you can use whatever you want too, but don't skip the "papas criollas" as well as the guasca and the chicken, those are the key ingredients no matter where you buy/make it.
first time on your channel, came for the ajiaco (mi sopa favorita), stayed for the knowledge, and melted at the end because you made me feel seen. you have a new non-binary pal and subscriber!
Great explanation..you make it look very easy....just a tip from a local, in order to get the same texture just add the potatoes by hardness, meaning the harder ones first and the softer ones at the end ( Red, then Rossettes and the Yellow ones last, or whatever your experience tells you).Time between each batch should be around 20-30 minutes. Try making some Lomo al Trapo (look it up or ask your wife), Bogotá people love it and use to make it by a fire place in a party dinner and it is so quick and easy but nevertheless so tasty.
Kenji: Makes Columbian food with reasonable substitutions given he lives in the US Columbians: Nice Kenji: Makes Italian food with reasonable substitutions given he lives in the US Italians: hOw DaRe yOu 🤌🤌
I was curious how you'd eat the corn, but you cut it off early! Do you scrape off the corn with the fork or do you use it to lift it and bit off of it?
You lift it with your hands (the fork may work, but the cobb in this kind of corn is harder) and bite off the kernels, that's how we do it in Colombia.
Since potatoes are pretty much just cellulose and starch, if you wash the starch away you're basically left with crunchy potato pulp. I think normally the starch swells and gels and spreads the cellulose fibers apart, making the potato tender.
Looks delicious as always kenji, love the fact that you showcase south american cuisine, not that complex but really tasty, hearthy and filling, btw you should absolutely give argentinian food a try, you would not be disappointed i promise. Maybe locro if you find not to be too scared about achuras (like tripe or pig's ears), or asado argentino, or maybe empanadas tucumanas/salteñas, pollo al disco is also a great option, anyways great vid as always much love from argentina 😁
As someone who always loses grip on a potato while peeling, I was gratified to see Kenji peeling over his cutting board! 😂 I started doing that a while ago to prevent any more lost soldiers😁
Very happy to see you prepare colombian dishes! You should try making “Lomo al trapo” next time, though it is kind of dependent on a chimney for its traditional preparation
I am very familiar with the dish! One of my favorite ways to prepare beef. My wife grew up eating it prepared at her uncle’s fireplace in Subachoque. I cooked it for around 200 guests at the International Association of Culinary Professionals awards several years ago (using charcoal in an open grill). I was actually thinking of doing a video on it soon.
Thank for sharing. Your channel speaks to my inner wanna be cook. I especially appreciate the story behind the dishes. That’s what it’s all about! Considering I can’t travel to the people and cultures I wish I could, I try to create authentic replicas at home. It’s my favorite part of food. Thanks again!!
Nice getting aquainted with your channel. This was a lovely and entertaining video. I was very impressed with your knowledge and even more so when I found out you're not Colombian yourself. I live in Sweden and it's probably going to be difficult to find the different potatoes and the mazorca here but I won't give up. Really miss the Colombian cuisine here.
I find this very interesting... Not just because I am half Colombian half German with an Asian wife but also because I've never heard of this dish before. Looks super hearty and like comfort food to my liking. I will definitely try this once I got all the ingredients.
I was stuck in that roadblock in the construction zone on Hwy 25 from Medellin to Solento this March, and we went to a roadside stand where we had the best soups. They were similar, but no corn and they were squeezing oranges into it.
If it was near Medellin most likely it was sancocho, which is brother with more chunks of vegetables though it doesn’t typically have citrus (but can). Or maybe it was mote, which is a cheese soup served with citrus.
Worked in Ráquira in the Andes foothills, Bogota, and Cartagena, and the climates were all hugely different. Never experienced humidity quite like Cartagena on the Caribbean coast! Fabulous country with lovely people. Such a shame they are all too frequently associated with the wrong things.
There are many cooking channels on RUclips. Most are okay. Ever since I started cooking a couple years ago and fell in love with it, I’ve gravitated towards a couple channels that always bring interesting dishes, along with good information. Kenny is easily at the top of that list. Often, I feel like I get in a culinary rut. Kinda cooking same-feeling dishes. I like to use a random Kenji video as a starting place to explore new avenues. Keep it up!
The insight on some potatoes don't get soft is great. Makes me wonder if that is what is happening sometimes in one of my favorite recipes. I think you've mentioned you compost your unused vegetable scraps, a composting for beginners video would be super cool.
We live in Guatemala and we only have one variety of local potato. They’re a waxy white potato. If I want another variety then I need to go to a fancy supermarket for imported red or russet potatoes from the states. You should see how excited our kids get over the simple red skin potatoes 😁
Interesting. In Chile or Argentina, Ajiaco is the name of the soup that we do with bbq's remains of the next day. It's delicious also, by the way. Interesante. En Chile o Argentina, ajiaco es el nombre de la sopa que hacemos con los restos del asado al día siguiente. También es delicioso, por cierto.
I would love to see j Kenji make a satay dish! I feel like he would make an excellent one. Only started watching his stuff after hearing his name being used in babish and others but always forgot to check him out.
i think if you wash potatoes too long you remove starches and leave behind a hypotonic liquid phase in your cellular structure the depletion of starches limits the osmotic pressure as they dissolve during cooking, ordinarily the cellulose structures would swell and explode, softening the bulk and creaming your potat
I don't want to bring the mood down, but since this is a Colombian recipe I would just like to spread the word of the civil unrest going on in Colombia right now
El arroz Kenji el arroz! But, besides that I didn't realized how much potential for ajiaco russet potatoes had. This was a pleasant surprise! Will definitely try if I can find some guascas in the middle of Indiana.
Hey Kenji, I just saw there is an instant pot/pressure cooker version of this dish and I was wondering if you could tell us how it compares to the traditional way of cooking it? Stay safe and much love
The reason there are so many potato varieties in the Andes is because of the ingenuity of the pre-colonial tuber farmers. They used a different variety for each soil type, altiude or climate. Producing alot of varieties that were sturdy and resilient against pests. This original agricultural system made potatoes into a crop that could be grown all across the rest of the world, and one of the most successful foods to prevent famines. It's not just an underrated cuisine, but a very underrated culture!
Bless you for this information
This is not the only reason. The physical geography of diversity of altitudes and mountainous terrain along with the vast diversity of soil types create a multitude of microclimates for numerous reasons-enabling a vast diversity of plants (in this case potato cultivars) to be grown in this region.
i knew the pre-colonial cultures developed lots of different varieties of plants, but, for some reason, i always thought there were always that many different kinds of potatoes. thank you for the information! do you have a book indication of where I could read more?
As a Colombian that has tried (many times) to explain typical Colombian food to foreigners, I want to give you soooo much credit for how good of a job you do at not only making the food but talking about it. Loving your content!
I passed by you at the market last week! Saw you were with your family so didn't want to disturb you, but I wanted to say thank you Kenji, you made a great impact on my life this past year.
I'm so jealous of you. You should have at least waved at him
you are great man its great that you respect his privacy
Kenji ain't got time for ya', he's a real lib.
@@Necrodoxious ??
@@iamDBA1 Sad that there are people like Necrodox who have to inject their politics everywhere no matter how inappropriate.
Your pronunciation of Ajiaco and Bogotá: 🏆
As a first generation Colombian American that learned to cook through your cookbook and videos, I'm loving all the Colombian cuisine you're showing to all your viewers. My family is from barranquilla so I'm not too familiar with this soup, we ate mostly sancocho.
I'll piggyback other comments and we'd all love a bandeja paisa video!
What you're saying is an important point for food from any country. For example: Americans think they know Chinese food. They haven't scraped the tip of the iceberg. China is a HUGE country with vast diversity of geography which allows for a vast diversity of microclimates in which to grow plants. Even one small village can have a signature dish they are famous for.
With 34 iconic provinces hundreds and hundreds of regions and thousands of villages, to learn Chinese food would take several lifetimes. As Anthony Bourdain once said: "he one thing I know for sure about China is I will never know China. It's too big, too old, too diverse, too deep. There's simply not enough time. That's for me the joy of China, facing a learning curve that impossibly steep.."
Mi sopa favorita. ¡Gracias, Kenji!
También te agradezco por mencionar las protestas.
Por favor haz bandeja paisa algún día. ♥
The point about variety and country of origin is something I felt in my bones. I'm south Indian and just saying banana or spinach is so weird to me. I could go to any street fruit vendor and buy 8 different varieties of bananas. Each taste different and unique. Same with spinach. Very regularly we have 6 different spinaches at local groceries. Flavour and texture vary wildly. Its not uncommon to have some variety every day as part of our meal.
But we get just potatoes and apples. The potatoes arent sorted. They're sometimes Yukon gold style and sometimes something related to a russet, but all bought and sold simply as potato. We get one variety of apple. Sometimes it's red delicious, sometimes it's more tart but always sold simply as apple...
What types of differences are there between your spinach varieties?
I would love to learn about more of the Indian types of spinach varieties. What are their names? I love greens and the Indian way of cooking greens is amazing.
@@Pammellam lol pretty much any leaf that isn't straight poisonous can be considered a spinach. also, whereas in western cuisine, spinach can be prepared cooked or raw (like in salads or pestos etc), in indian cuisine (or at least what i have experience with, india is such a vast region with so many ppl it's hard to generalize) it's always cooked. some leaves (like the ones from pumpkin or squash) have a velvety texture before being cooked and are a tougher mouthfeel while others are so smooth that the break down into almost a sauce-like consistency just by steaming it for a while. my personal favorite variety is called 'laal saag' or 'red spinach' and it was this leaf that was almost maroon in color and would stain the rice red when you'd eat it together. growing up in upstate ny, my parents had very little access to indian markets but about once or twice a month, they'd head down to nyc for a shopping trip to get the desi essentials. i was always excited when they brought back the red spinach hehe.
@@nightingale4786 ::: I live in Japan and there are also many different kinds of greens here as well. Most of them are eaten cooked. But I think India must have the most variety! And I think India probably has the most interesting way to cook all of his greens as well.
:0 that is so interesting, as someone who’s grown up in the states and taken the supermarket variety (or lack of) for granted
I looked up “soldier weed” and I found articles about cannabis in the military. I looked up “potato weed” and found shirts saying “get baked” with a bloodshot eyed potato.
Same! Luckily Kenji provided an Amazon link in the description.
🤣 Very underrated comment!
@@TreeTrunkCrabWhacka the internet sometimes gives you what you need, if not what you want.
Gallant weed is what I’ve always heard it called
search guascas on Amazon
Kenji is always bringing it. Always the tastiest recipes, with some thoughtful insight as to the "why" of processes too!!
That's the foodLab bb
@@krispbacon9474 Na man, they get views for that exact reason, because they aren't cooks and they have different opinions than the pros. Kenji is the 🐐 though.
Oh my. My wife is Colombian ... Can't wait to make this for her. Thanks for everything Kenji!
Hey man! Just wanted to say that you really do know Colombia. Your explanation isn't just a run of the mill affair. I can tell you took the time to travel, explore, and most importantly understand the culture. Awesome job
My preschooler has been begging me to make “the soup with the corn from Encanto”, so I am very glad to find this recipe AND especially that you included substitutes for some of the Andean ingredients. We get a lot of different types of potatoes in the Netherlands, but not all of the ones traditionally used in the Colombian kitchen 😅 (I will also have to translate those US types of potatoes to our local varieties, but we live and learn 👍)
As a Colombian, I say It´s sounds really good, regards from Bogotá to Nederlands and enjoy your try of Colombian recipe.
Hi!
Just came here from a reddit post, and Im a guy from Colombia who happens to absolutely love cooking, and ajiaco is something our family has made since a long time ago, so if you want some tips/comments just hit me up!
BTW, great job! looks delicious!
hint #1: dont mix the pastusa/sabanera potatos. each kind of potato goes in the pot at different times, and each one gets sliced in a different way, also you want to peel them, keep them whole and let them sit in water for 15sh minutes, then slice or dice.
hint#2: do not use chicken broth, put in a couple wings or legs, and just water, salt and some pepper. keep it boiling for a long time, replenish water as needed, you want a lot of chicken flavor, then you add the breast(breast is usually taken out before serving, pulled like pulled pork, and served over the soup, but evryone gets a leg/wing) cilantro is higly recommended, but bay leaves not at all.
hint3# "papa criolla goes in first, you may cut it in halves, or slices depending on the size, you want them to dissolve, this will give the "body" to your soup, so the smaller you cut it, the faster it will dissolve, keep the heat on low here... also, if you get ahold of cummins, well yeah go crazy on them, every damn colombian dish relies on cummins, whole or powdered is ok, but for ajiaco powdered is better.
hint#4, I guess we should just chat up!
Amazing how something like “chicken soup” can be so different from anything I’ve ever seen. Avocado, capers, cream, the surprises just kept coming.
I've been dying to make this soup since I went to Colombia 2 years ago. My wife is Colombian, and needless to say I've fallen in love with the food too. Thank you for posting this recipe!
My local Latin market has frozen packs with all the ingredients including guasca leaves - just add stock, chicken, and toppings. It is from abuela Emilia (Ajiaco Santaferiño mix)
Mine too. I just hate that there was 2 brands. One had the Colombian corn and the other the US corn. I can’t seem to find the one with the Colombian corn anymore.
watched this video this morning and found out i have a Latin supermarket in my town that sold the specialty ingredients needed. I have a pot of this simmering away for dinner as I type this comment. Smells and tastes amazing. Thanks Kenji!
Hola!
Bonjour
Ki manier ?
Hallo
Love your vids bruh👍🏾
como estas?
My favorite chef but I wouldn't even call Kenji a chef, he's a food scientist because he knows everything about food, his videos are so informative.
Up here in the frozen north, Galinsoga (quickweed, gallant soldier, potato weed) grows as a weed in gardens everywhere, most gardeners pull it, and have no idea what they are missing. Our local potato, ham, and corn soup (Sort of like an Ajiaco nortamericano) benefits a lot from the addition of the plant to the pot.
The way Kenji grabs that strainer at 9:23... Pro move right there.
I think it's a spider.
@@michaelf.7050 Yes, a spider strainer...
I'mma do that the next time I make stock. Get every last bit of goodness!
My gf is Peruvian and I’ve been learning so many great recipes from her. Didn’t realize how many unique ingredients come from South America
Absolutely a great video. I'm Colombian and from Bogota, and applaud you.
Kenji made ajiaco no way! Saludos de Colombia!
I never thought I'd see you cook one of my favorite traditional foods and the most important thing is that you didn't forget las papas criollas!
Kenji, man, this looks sooo freaking good! Shouts out to Auntie Gloria and thank you for sharing with us!
We just love you, Kenji. Your kind soul always shines through. Love these types of recipes! 💜
Traveling outside of the states is one of the BEST ways to open your eyes to new cuisine. I took a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos a few years ago, and I will never forget the food there. Completely different cultures and environments lead to some really neat food.
I love ajiaco! It was the first Colombian dish I ever tried. I still remember the day.
The cultural anecdotes you bring with your recipes are really great.
I am currently studying for an exam and watching these videos is like therapy for me. Thanks Kenji!
the cinematography on this video was superb kenji, pleasure to watch as always.
Very compelling, great job explaining the differences in the ingredients you can use in the states and giving some information about the soup and the country.
Two precisions: We ussually serve this soup with a serving of rice alongside and to garnish the ajiaco, we use plain cream, not suero or sourcream.
Everything else was magnificent. I loved it! And the fact that you found guascas was amazing, this soup doesn't taste the same with out them.
Hey Kenji - now that you live in Seattle, there's a great potato farmer at the Ballard Farmer's Market who has a lot of varieties. I haven't checked for criolla but every other time a recipe has called for a particular variety of potato, I've been able to find it there.
I watched this over lunch with my folks, we're all from Bogotá, they approved and said it looks fantastic, we'd love to see you have a crack at a Bandeja Paisa.
Also thanks for that shout in the description, Temblores is doing amazing and necessary work.
I didn't know your wife is Colombian, now makes a lot of sense, thanks for also sharing our food!
Un saludo desde Shanghai!
Can't wait to try this recipe! I hope all of your family is staying safe in Columbia right now!
I loved this dish. I would have never known about it if it wasn’t for this video. This one was very very good. My grandma enjoyed it a lot. Thanks Kenji!
Shabu is your constant kitchen companion--very cute!!
Kenji, this is sooo cool! And also shows us, why having different varieties of vegetables etc is so important. thanks for sharing!
As a Colombian this made me love your channel even more!
Wow watching him cook is relaxing.
Kenji, this looks absolutely scrumptious! I so appreciate that you include substitutions and a link to order Guascas. Can't wait to give this a try!
Always a pleasure seeing the Colombian recipes you make. Pretty much nailed everything, you can find ajiaco pretty much in every city of Colombia you go, but Bogotá's it's supposed to be the best one (I don't think so). For anyone interested in making this soup the ingredients varie from city to city because the weather is so different, in the northern coast we use a slimmer corn less, you can use any type of corn you can find, and what we call "bastimento" here Wich is everything that thickens the soup, the potatoes and all the starchy goodness, you can use whatever you want too, but don't skip the "papas criollas" as well as the guasca and the chicken, those are the key ingredients no matter where you buy/make it.
What city are you in?
@@JKenjiLopezAlt Riohacha - La Guajira, it's the north most city of Colombia and super hot too, you are very welcome here.
first time on your channel, came for the ajiaco (mi sopa favorita), stayed for the knowledge, and melted at the end because you made me feel seen. you have a new non-binary pal and subscriber!
i really love all the tidbits of info you pack your videos with. Thank you. I am making this one.
Thank you for this video! I enjoyed learning how to make the soup and you are very good at explaing things and making viewrs feel at home!
This took me back to my childhood. Thank you for suggesting this weekend's lunch!
Great explanation..you make it look very easy....just a tip from a local, in order to get the same texture just add the potatoes by hardness, meaning the harder ones first and the softer ones at the end ( Red, then Rossettes and the Yellow ones last, or whatever your experience tells you).Time between each batch should be around 20-30 minutes. Try making some Lomo al Trapo (look it up or ask your wife), Bogotá people love it and use to make it by a fire place in a party dinner and it is so quick and easy but nevertheless so tasty.
Kenji: Makes Columbian food with reasonable substitutions given he lives in the US
Columbians: Nice
Kenji: Makes Italian food with reasonable substitutions given he lives in the US
Italians: hOw DaRe yOu 🤌🤌
italians on the internet just find problems with everything 💀
Falling in love with that soup in Bogotá, amazing 🤩
Thanks for this video man, I am truly speechless. You are incredible.
Thanks for doing Ajiaco.. it’s exactly the way I make it as a proud Colombian Stateside.
I was curious how you'd eat the corn, but you cut it off early! Do you scrape off the corn with the fork or do you use it to lift it and bit off of it?
Underrated comment
You lift it with your hands (the fork may work, but the cobb in this kind of corn is harder) and bite off the kernels, that's how we do it in Colombia.
@@vivirodriguezc Thank you for the answer! I've been very curious.
Since potatoes are pretty much just cellulose and starch, if you wash the starch away you're basically left with crunchy potato pulp. I think normally the starch swells and gels and spreads the cellulose fibers apart, making the potato tender.
This is the best answer I’ve heard and it makes sense as starchier potatoes get softer more easily.
(Someone also forwarded a scientific paper about this to me)
This girl from the Southeast US has several friends from Colombia. Have always wanted to visit Bogota and surrounding locations.
my wife is colombian too and this is my favorite dish next to Bandeja Paisa!
So I’ve never tried soups when I’ve eaten Colombian food but this seems right up my alley. Much thanks for the video.
Looks delicious as always kenji, love the fact that you showcase south american cuisine, not that complex but really tasty, hearthy and filling, btw you should absolutely give argentinian food a try, you would not be disappointed i promise. Maybe locro if you find not to be too scared about achuras (like tripe or pig's ears), or asado argentino, or maybe empanadas tucumanas/salteñas, pollo al disco is also a great option, anyways great vid as always much love from argentina 😁
As someone who always loses grip on a potato while peeling, I was gratified to see Kenji peeling over his cutting board! 😂 I started doing that a while ago to prevent any more lost soldiers😁
Very happy to see you prepare colombian dishes! You should try making “Lomo al trapo” next time, though it is kind of dependent on a chimney for its traditional preparation
I am very familiar with the dish! One of my favorite ways to prepare beef. My wife grew up eating it prepared at her uncle’s fireplace in Subachoque. I cooked it for around 200 guests at the International Association of Culinary Professionals awards several years ago (using charcoal in an open grill). I was actually thinking of doing a video on it soon.
Thank for sharing. Your channel speaks to my inner wanna be cook. I especially appreciate the story behind the dishes. That’s what it’s all about! Considering I can’t travel to the people and cultures I wish I could, I try to create authentic replicas at home. It’s my favorite part of food. Thanks again!!
Loved this!!! Muchas gracias for highlighting this dish.
Thank you for all you do.
Thanks for sharing one of your family recipes, these are some of my favs.
I haven't watched but I'll be grateful first. Thank you, Kenji. With much love from Colombia. And yeah, we are having a terrible time right now.
bruh Kenji making my favorite dish what a day
Nice getting aquainted with your channel. This was a lovely and entertaining video. I was very impressed with your knowledge and even more so when I found out you're not Colombian yourself. I live in Sweden and it's probably going to be difficult to find the different potatoes and the mazorca here but I won't give up. Really miss the Colombian cuisine here.
Do a Bandeja Paisa video, please! :)
I've been waiting for you to make this for years! One of my favorite Colombian soups.
I find this very interesting... Not just because I am half Colombian half German with an Asian wife but also because I've never heard of this dish before. Looks super hearty and like comfort food to my liking. I will definitely try this once I got all the ingredients.
Ate this is Bogotá and then ate it every day for 3 weeks. Incredible stuff
I was stuck in that roadblock in the construction zone on Hwy 25 from Medellin to Solento this March, and we went to a roadside stand where we had the best soups. They were similar, but no corn and they were squeezing oranges into it.
If it was near Medellin most likely it was sancocho, which is brother with more chunks of vegetables though it doesn’t typically have citrus (but can). Or maybe it was mote, which is a cheese soup served with citrus.
Worked in Ráquira in the Andes foothills, Bogota, and Cartagena, and the climates were all hugely different. Never experienced humidity quite like Cartagena on the Caribbean coast! Fabulous country with lovely people. Such a shame they are all too frequently associated with the wrong things.
Cebolla larga is quite normal here in Colombia, but when my Norwegian Uncle first came here and saw it he was absolutely blown away by a long onion
Kenji, you are the man!
There are many cooking channels on RUclips. Most are okay. Ever since I started cooking a couple years ago and fell in love with it, I’ve gravitated towards a couple channels that always bring interesting dishes, along with good information. Kenny is easily at the top of that list. Often, I feel like I get in a culinary rut. Kinda cooking same-feeling dishes. I like to use a random Kenji video as a starting place to explore new avenues.
Keep it up!
The insight on some potatoes don't get soft is great. Makes me wonder if that is what is happening sometimes in one of my favorite recipes.
I think you've mentioned you compost your unused vegetable scraps, a composting for beginners video would be super cool.
So nice to see my fav soup ever on your channel!!
We live in Guatemala and we only have one variety of local potato. They’re a waxy white potato. If I want another variety then I need to go to a fancy supermarket for imported red or russet potatoes from the states. You should see how excited our kids get over the simple red skin potatoes 😁
Interesting. In Chile or Argentina, Ajiaco is the name of the soup that we do with bbq's remains of the next day. It's delicious also, by the way.
Interesante. En Chile o Argentina, ajiaco es el nombre de la sopa que hacemos con los restos del asado al día siguiente. También es delicioso, por cierto.
wow.. I have to try this out!!! Thanks for an excellent video as always.. love this channel!
I would love to see j Kenji make a satay dish! I feel like he would make an excellent one.
Only started watching his stuff after hearing his name being used in babish and others but always forgot to check him out.
i think if you wash potatoes too long you remove starches and leave behind a hypotonic liquid phase in your cellular structure
the depletion of starches limits the osmotic pressure as they dissolve during cooking, ordinarily the cellulose structures would swell and explode, softening the bulk and creaming your potat
Married a colombiana!! 🇨🇴❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I don't want to bring the mood down, but since this is a Colombian recipe I would just like to spread the word of the civil unrest going on in Colombia right now
This man is out here making banger content but his most popular video is him silently making grilled cheese late at night
"Americans have so few varieties of potato"
*me* weeps in american expat in europe, down to 1.5 varieties
where in europe? because im dutch and all we have are potatoes...
"in europe"
in which of the 44 countries that are IN europe? got quite many varieties of potato here in Austria
👍Cooking AND tales! What's not to love about Kenji's cooking show?
First place I went to eat after landing in Bogota: La Puerta Falsa, and this is the first thing I ate in Colombia. Simple but so damn good.
In Chile, Ajiaco is a soup made with leftovers from a barbecue (beef). Onions, potatoes and some white wine.
Every day I learn something new
El arroz Kenji el arroz! But, besides that I didn't realized how much potential for ajiaco russet potatoes had. This was a pleasant surprise! Will definitely try if I can find some guascas in the middle of Indiana.
Hey Kenji, I just saw there is an instant pot/pressure cooker version of this dish and I was wondering if you could tell us how it compares to the traditional way of cooking it? Stay safe and much love
¡Viva Colombia! Make sancoho next, please!
Hidden prep step: standing in the frozen section mulling over the ethics of buying Goya potatoes vs other megacorp yellow potatoes.
Not something I'll ever cook, but still enjoyed hearing about the recipe and different types of products we don't get to see here.
Could you substitute leeks or spring onions for the cebolla larva? How about hominy for the Peruvian corn?
This soup looks really great, would you do more Colombian dishes please, it looks very interesting
Damn this looks so good. Trying this immediately. Thanks for sharing. 🇺🇸 🇨🇴