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Suero costeño
Suero costeño: tangy, thick fermented cream from Colombia's Caribbean coast, for bollos and arepas
Market stalls in Montería, Sincelejo and Valledupar sell suero costeño from big tubs, ladled into bags: a sour, salty, spoonable cream that goes onto bollos, arepas, boiled cassava, fried plantain and mote de queso. Traditionally it comes from raw milk left to sour in the heat. This home version keeps the flavour but uses pasteurised cream and milk with live yogurt as a starter, which is far safer. Plan for 12–24 hours of fermenting plus chilling. Hygiene matters: wash the jar and spoon in hot soapy water and scald them with boiling water, never use raw milk, and keep the jar at room temperature (20–25 °C, out of direct sun) for no more than 24 hours before it goes into the fridge. Throw it out if you see mould, pink or orange patches, or it smells putrid rather than pleasantly sour. Leaving it out too long is the big mistake: it goes bitter and separates. Chef's tip: salt only after fermenting, as salt slows the cultures.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wash a 1 litre glass jar, its lid and a spoon in hot soapy water, then pour boiling water over them and leave to air-dry on a clean rack.
Step 2: Warm 1 ¾ cups double cream (heavy cream) and ¾ cup whole milk in a clean pan over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, just until lukewarm (about 86°F), so it feels barely warm on your wrist.
4 minStep 3: Whisk 4 tbsp plain live yogurt into the warm cream until smooth, then pour into the jar. Cover with the lid set loosely on top, or a clean cloth secured with a band.
Step 4: Leave at room temperature (20–77°F), away from sun and the stove, for 12–24 hours, until thick and pleasantly sour. Check at 12 hours; never leave it out longer than 24 hours.
720 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tsp salt until dissolved; it will thin a little at first. Close the lid tightly.
Step 6: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until thick again and well chilled. Keep in the fridge and eat within 5 days, using a clean spoon each time.
240 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suero costeño take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of double cream (heavy cream)?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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