Caldo de Gallina (Caldo de gallina)
Overview
Caldo de gallina is a Peruvian hen soup. An older laying hen is simmered for hours to make a deep, golden broth, which is then used to cook yellow potatoes and thick egg noodles. Each bowl gets a large piece of hen, a hard-boiled egg and a generous sprinkle of spring onion, with ginger, lime and ají chilli sauce on the side. The broth is clear, strong and comforting, and the hen meat is firmer and more flavourful than ordinary chicken. Some places also add a little chopped celery or a slice of fresh chilli.
History
In Lima, caldo de gallina is known as the soup for the early hours, sold at stalls and small restaurants open late into the night for people coming home from parties. It is also valued as a cure for colds and for tired bodies. Many stalls in Lima stay open all night to serve it, and the soup is also commonly made at home for Sunday meals.
Main ingredients
Hen, egg noodles, potatoes, boiled egg, ginger, spring onion. The soup is built on hen broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chicken soups · Potato soups · Noodle soups · Egg soups · More soups from Peru
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~165 min
Ingredients
- 1 hen or 1.5 kg chicken pieces
- 3 cm ginger, sliced, 1 onion, 2 celery sticks
- 4 yellow potatoes, peeled
- 250 g thick egg noodles
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- spring onion, lime, ají sauce, salt
Allergens: Contains: Celery, Gluten, Eggs. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Simmer the hen with ginger, onion and celery in 3 l water for 2 hours.
- Strain the broth and remove the hen.
- Cook the potatoes in the broth, then the noodles.
- Serve with a piece of hen, half an egg, spring onion and lime.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
