Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post about making “sopas peruanas,” following your instructions and example:
So, the other day I was feeling like something warm and comforting, and I got this crazy craving for Peruvian soups. I’ve had them at restaurants before, and man, they’re good! But I’d never actually made one myself. Time to change that!
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to figure out what kind of soup I even wanted. “Sopas peruanas” is pretty broad, you know? There are tons of different types. I did some quick searching and looked at some pictures, trying to find something that looked tasty and didn’t seem too crazy complicated for a first-timer.
I ended up deciding on something that looked like a chicken and noodle soup, but with a Peruvian twist, it had, like, cilantro and some other stuff in it. I didn’t even have a real recipe. I was like a soup explorer, going in blind!
The Shopping Mission
I needed supplies. Off to the grocery store! I grabbed:
- Chicken: I got some bone-in thighs, figuring they’d give the soup more flavor.
- Noodles: I just grabbed some regular spaghetti.
- Veggies: Onions, garlic, carrots, celery… the usual soup suspects.
- The “Peruvian” Stuff: Cilantro was a must,and also found some frozen Aji peppers.
- Stock: I was lazy and just bought some chicken broth.
- Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, and I think I grabbed some oregano too.
Chopping and Simmering
Back home, it was time to get cooking. I chopped up all the veggies. I’m not gonna lie, my knife skills aren’t the best, so everything was kinda unevenly sized. Oh well!
I tossed the chicken into a big pot with some oil and browned it a little. Then I threw in the onions and garlic, let them soften up, and added the carrots and celery. After that, I poured in the chicken broth, added the spices, and brought it all to a boil. Once it was boiling, I turned the heat down to a simmer and let it do its thing for a while. It smelled pretty good!
Noodle Time and Finishing Touches
After the chicken had been simmering for a good long time and was nice and tender, I fished it out of the pot and shredded it up with a couple of forks. Then I tossed the noodles into the broth to cook.
Once the noodles were done, I added the shredded chicken back in, along with a big handful of chopped cilantro. I also, put in some of that diced aji pepper.I let it all simmer together for a few more minutes, just to let the flavors meld.
The Taste Test
Finally, it was time to eat! I ladled myself a big bowl of soup. Honestly, it was pretty darn good! It definitely had that warm, comforting vibe I was going for. Was it exactly like the soups I’ve had in restaurants? Nope. But for a first try, totally winging it, I was pretty proud of myself. Next time, I might try a different type of Peruvian soup, maybe something with quinoa. This whole soup-making adventure was fun, and I’m definitely going to do it again!
