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Mote de queso
Yam and cheese soup
Mote de queso: thick yam soup from Córdoba and Sucre with chunks of salty white cheese and lime
Few dishes say Colombian savanna country like a pot of mote de queso. Families in Montería, Sincelejo and the towns around them make it for Sunday lunch and during Holy Week, when meat is off the table: white yam is boiled until it collapses into a thick, almost creamy broth, seasoned with a fry of onion and garlic, and finished with cubes of salty queso costeño and a squeeze of lime. It is eaten with plain white rice, sliced avocado and a fried ripe plantain on the side. Outside Colombia, a firm feta-style or halloumi-style cheese stands in for queso costeño; both are often set with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) one. The trap most cooks fall into is adding the cheese too early, so it dissolves into strings and the soup turns gluey and over-salted. Chef's tip: wear gloves or oil your hands when peeling the yam, because the raw juice can make skin itch.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ¼ lb white yam (ñame)peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks; or eddo or taro
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
For the seasoning
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 white onionfinely chopped
- 3 spring onionsfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground annatto (achiote)for colour; or a pinch of sweet paprika
To finish
- 10 ½ oz queso costeño or firm feta-style cheesecut into 2 cm cubes; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
- 2 limescut into wedges
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb white yam (ñame), 8 ¼ cups water and 1 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to the boil over a high heat, skimming off the foam.
Step 2: Lower to a steady simmer and cook for 25–30 minutes, until the yam is falling apart at the edges.
28 minStep 3: Lift out about a third of the yam, mash it to a paste with a fork and stir it back in. Use the back of a spoon to crush a few more pieces against the side of the pot, until the broth looks thick and cloudy.
Step 4: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 white onion and 3 spring onions for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
5 minStep 5: Add 4 garlic cloves, ½ tsp ground cumin and ¼ tsp ground annatto (achiote) and fry for 1 minute, until fragrant and orange-tinted.
1 minStep 6: Scrape the seasoning into the soup, rinsing the pan with a ladle of broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often so the bottom does not catch, until the soup coats the back of a spoon.
5 minStep 7: Take the pot off the heat, stir in 10 ½ oz queso costeño or firm feta-style cheese and leave it for 2 minutes, until the cubes soften on the outside but keep their shape. Taste before adding any more salt.
2 minStep 8: Ladle into bowls, scatter with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve with 2 limes to squeeze over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mote de queso take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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