Its been a bit cold the last few days, when I suggested Locro for dinner the whole family was agreement. EVERYONE loves Locro at our house! This soup is traditional Ecuadorian potato soup. Depending on what part of Ecuador someone is from depends on how the soup is prepared, and you will find that some of the ingredients can be different.
The first time I sat down to eat Locro with my husband’s family his grandmother happened to be in town. I remember when I was served – yes, served my soup. The women dish up the plates (or bowls) of food for the family and guests, something very different than how I grew up. As a kid, with 9 people sitting at the table we would all swarm over the casserole dish or pot and claim our part before it was gone. I observed what everyone else was doing at the table – breaking up chunks of mozzarella cheese, throwing in a few slices of avocado, and sprinkling minced cilantro. This combination was something I had never seen, and to be honest I was a bit nervous I would not like it. I dove in and I was pleasantly surprised. This stuff was AMAZING! I could not help myself, I HAD to have seconds!
First put 10 cups of water in a large pot and turn it on high so it can boil. Then you will wash, peel, and chop/dice the potatoes. About 5 of the potatoes will be diced very small. This will make it so your soup will will be a bit thicker than just a broth soup. The rest of the potatoes you will chop up to a medium size, something you would be comfortable putting the whole thing in your mouth with 😉 Make sure you rinse the potatoes well in order to remove all the starch – I rinse them until the water no longer has a murkiness to it, nice and clear.
Once the water is boiling you will add the batch of small diced potatoes to the boiling water, cover with lid and allow them to boil for about 15 minutes.
Add the medium sized chopped potatoes, the bouillon cubes, and the half of bunch of cilantro. I always like to give it a good stir to make sure my bouillon cubes are dissolving. Put on the lid and allow it to boil for 12-15 minutes or until the larger potatoes are tender. Once the large pieces are tender, turn it down to medium low and add the milk and the corn. Allow the soup to simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Remove the bunch of boiled cilantro and throw away.
Serve with all the trimmings – mozzarella cheese, fresh minced cilantro, and avocado if you like.
I love waiting a couple of minutes until my cheese is nice and melted!
This soup is a family favorite, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do!
See the Happy,
-Kirsten
- 12 medium potatoes Golden Potatoes seem to work best for this recipe
- 10 cups water
- 1 bunch cilantro Rinse before use. You will use half as flavoring, and the other half minced to garnish.
- 6 cubes chicken bouillon
- 2 cups corn This equals to about 1 can of corn. You can also substitute the corn with hominy.
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 avocados sliced
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese cubed
- Put the 10 cups of water in a large pot and set on high to boil.
- Peel and cut the potatoes. About 5 of them need to be diced very small, the remaining 7 cut into medium size pieces, small enough to put into your mouth without having to cut them. Set those 7 aside. Add the small, diced potatoes to the boiling water and allow to boil for about 15 minutes.
- Add the larger pieces of potato into the pot along the bouillon cubes, and half of the cilantro. Put on a lid and allow to boil for about 15 minutes, or until the larger potatoes are tender.
- When the large potatoes are tender, add the 1 1/2 cups of milk and turn it down to medium-low , allowing the soup to simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit about 10 minutes.
- Remove the half bunch of cilantro from the soup and discard. Serve the Locro up in bowls and allow family/guests to add in chunks of cheese, sliced avocado, and minced cilantro. I like to wait a few minutes and allow the cheese to melt. Enjoy!
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