Ajiaco Santafereño

The story

Ajiaco Santafereño is a Colombian main with a clear sense of place. Ajiaco santafereño is the signature soup of Bogotá and the surrounding highland region. Its identity depends on multiple potato types and guascas, an herb with a distinctive earthy aroma. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 900 g bone-in chicken breasts or thighs
• 400 g floury potatoespeeled and sliced
• 400 g waxy potatoespeeled and chunked
• 450 g papas criollas or baby yellow potatoeshalved
• 3 piece corn cobscut into thirds
• 100 g Spring onions
• 12 g Garlic
• 15 g dried guascas
• 2200 ml water or light chicken stock
• 150 ml double creamto serve
• 80 g capersto serve
• 2 piece avocadosto serve

Method

1. Put chicken, corn, spring onions, garlic and

   Put chicken, corn, spring onions, garlic and stock in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 25 minutes, skimming the surface. Remove the chicken when just cooked and set aside.

   Tip: Let one potato variety break down on purpose while protecting the others. That is the traditional thickening mechanism. Avoid: Using one potato variety loses the textural contrast; adding guascas too early dulls the aroma; shredding chicken too finely makes the soup feel stringy.

2. Add floury potatoes to the broth and

   Add floury potatoes to the broth and simmer 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so their edges begin to break down and thicken the soup naturally.

3. Add the waxy potatoes and papas criollas

   Add the waxy potatoes and papas criollas and cook another 15–20 minutes. The waxy pieces should hold shape while the yellow potatoes soften into the broth.

4. Stir in guascas for the final 8–10

   Stir in guascas for the final 8–10 minutes. Shred the rested chicken into large pieces and return it to the soup just long enough to heat through.

5. Taste for salt

   Taste for salt. The finished ajiaco should be creamy-looking from potato starch but still contain clear pieces of potato and corn; do not blend it.

6. Serve in deep bowls with corn and

   Serve in deep bowls with corn and chicken visible. Put cream, capers and avocado on the table so each diner can season the soup to taste.

   Look for: Broth lightly coats the spoon, some potatoes have dissolved, others remain intact, and chicken is moist.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.