Peruvian Quinoa Chowder

Cue the pan flutes, or, better yet, throw on an Yma Sumac CD. (If you don’t have a Sumac CD, here is a link: Yma Sumac. Sumac was a 1950’s Peruvian vocal phenom with an amazing five octave vocal range and a legendary temper that befitted the green-eyed Inca princess she claimed to be.)

You definitely need some exotic mood music with this soup.

This is a Peruvian chowder. If you read Blue Cayenne regularly, you know that this Irish girl brakes for potatoes–any kinds of potatoes and tubers, in fact. So, chowder recipes always always catch my eye. Throw in an exotic angle like Peruvian cuisine and you have my full attention.

This chowder is full of all sorts of good stuff–yams, quinoa, red onions, cream, and peppers. Actually, the recipe calls for an unusual ingredient, a Peruvian pepper paste called aji amarillo. Not having any of the paste on hand,  I was able to substitute two minced jalapeños. My soup was spicy but not overly so. (You can buy the paste on Amazon, by the way. Jeff Bezos has everything!)

Here is a photo of the peppers. They are bright orange and orange peppers make me cautious, having foolishly tasted a couple of habaneros in my day. Max Fallowitz, writing on the Serious Eats site, says the amarillos only register medium to hot, though.  Fallowitz waxes poetic when describing the fruity-hot flavor of the aji amarillo: “If there were chiles to taste like sunshine, this would be it.” That’s a pretty strong endorsement. Pretty writing, too.

Here is the recipe.

Serves 8

Peruvian Quinoa Chowder

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Ingredients

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 Red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 Jalapeño peppers (seeded and finely chopped) or 1/4 C. aji amarillo paste (Note: If you add aji amarillo paste, add it to your taste. I haven't used it in this recipe and recommend that you be careful not to get your soup too fiery hot.)
• 3 T. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 1/4 Quarts vegetable broth
• 8 Ounces yams (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice)
• 1 1/2 C. corn kernels
• 3/4 C. quinoa (rinsed and drained)
• 1/3 C. heavy cream
• Fresh mint leaves to garnish
• Lime wedges to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large soup pan. Sauté chopped red onion in hot oil until the onion is a light golden brown. This will take about 4 minutes.
2. Add jalapeño peppers (seeded) and chopped fresh oregano to the onions along with 1 t. kosher salt and 1/2 t. black pepper. Continue to cook until the ingredients are fragrant. This will only take about 30 seconds.
3. Add the vegetable broth and the cubes of peeled yams. Also, add corn kernels and quinoa (rinsed and drained). Bring this mixture to a boil and then lower heat to medium-low. Put a cover on the pot and cook for about 20 minutes or until the yams and the quinoa are tender. You want to stir the pot occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the chowder from the heat and stir in heavy cream.
5. Serve garnished with chopped fresh mint and a lime wedge.

Notes

If you are going to refrigerate this soup, be aware that the quinoa continues to absorb broth as it sits. Add additional broth to thin the soup before serving it again.

Nutrition

Calories

230 cal

Fat

7 g

Carbs

39 g

Protein

7 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

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https://bluecayenne.com/peruvian-quinoa-chowder

There are a lot of Peruvian chowder recipes online. This recipe was adapted from recipes that appear in the Milk Street Magazine (https://www.177milkstreet.com/) and Laura b. Russel’s blog (http://laurabrussell.com/peruvian-quinoa-chowder/).