Ayngelina Brogan shares her recipe for Chupe de Camarones (shrimp chowder) – a traditional dish in Southern Peru.
Photo © Getty Images/Dmitry_Saparov
Cities are dotted with wonderful street vendors selling fruit and serving up hot food.
In North America if you are going on a long bus ride or trip, part of the packing preparation is bringing enough food and water with you, particularly as airport food is expensive but not particularly tasty.
But in South America you can simply show up at the bus terminal, check your bags, eat an inexpensive lunch and buy some snacks for the road.
The other great thing is that bus terminals do not serve tourist food but offer what the local's eat so you know you're getting an authentic taste of the area. On a recent trip in Southern Peru, I was able to try chupe de camarones - or shimp chowder, a dish traditional to the area.
Peru is an enormous country and food varies from region to region, while I had previously eaten fresh from the ocean sudado and ceviche in the North, chupe de camarones was a completely different flavour profile because it contains river shrimp.
It's a deliciously simple dish and easy enough to recreate at home.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs shrimp
- 3 eggs, cracked and beaten in a bowl
- 1 lb potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 ears of corn, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A few drops of hot sauce
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, or until onion is softened.
2. Add 4 cups of water to pan, bring to a boil. Stir in rice and corn chunks. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and salt. Continue cooking 10 more minutes or until potatoes and rice are just tender. Add shrimp. Simmer, until shrimp are pink, about 4 minutes.
4. Stir in evaporated milk and oregano. When the soup begins boiling again add eggs. Keep stirring until eggs are cooked.
About the Author
Ayngelina Brogan left a great job, boyfriend, apartment and friends to find inspiration in Latin America. Follow her adventures on her blog Bacon is Magic, on Facebook or Twitter.
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