Sopa de Quinua (Andean Quinoa and Vegetable Soup)

Toast the quinoa

Toast the rinsed quinoa in a dry pot over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often, until it smells nutty and starts to crackle. Tip it out onto a plate.

• 120 g quinoa

✅ Done when: quinoa smells nutty and starts to crackle

Make the aderezo

Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat and cook the chopped red onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic, ají amarillo paste and cumin and cook 1 more minute until fragrant.

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin

✅ Done when: onion is soft and mixture smells fragrant

Simmer the quinoa

Pour in the vegetable stock and add the toasted quinoa. Raise the heat to bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 120 g toasted quinoa from step 1

✅ Done when: soup is simmering gently and quinoa is starting to soften

Add the vegetables

Add the potatoes, carrot, broad beans, choclo, salt and oregano. Keep simmering gently over low heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

• 2 potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 100 g broad beans
• 100 g choclo
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano

✅ Done when: vegetables are tender and quinoa grains show their small white spiral

Serve

Taste the soup and adjust the salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and top each with diced queso fresco and chopped parsley.

• to taste salt
• 100 g queso fresco
• 2 tbsp parsley