Mote de Queso (Mote de queso)
Overview
Mote de queso is a thick yam and cheese soup from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Ñame, a large white yam, is peeled, cut into chunks and boiled until some pieces fall apart and thicken the soup. A sofrito of onion, spring onion and garlic fried in butter or oil, sometimes with a little coconut, is added for flavour. Just before serving, cubes of queso costeño, a firm, salty white cheese from the region, are stirred in so they soften without melting away, and a squeeze of lime is added. It is served with white rice, avocado or slices of fried plantain.
History
The soup comes from the savanna towns of Córdoba, Sucre and Bolívar, where yams and cattle are farmed and queso costeño is made on many ranches. It is especially linked with the cities of Montería and Sincelejo and is often eaten during Holy Week, when many families avoid meat. Today it is served all along the Caribbean coast, including in Cartagena and Barranquilla.
Main ingredients
Yam (ñame), queso costeño, onion, garlic, lime, butter. The soup is built on water and is usually served hot. Diet: vegetarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: More soups from Colombia
Recipe
Method
- 130 min
Boil the yam in the water for 30 minutes, until very soft.
- 2
Mash some of the pieces against the pot to thicken the soup.
- 3
Fry the onion, spring onion and garlic in the butter until soft and add them to the soup.
- 410 min 2 min
Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the cheese and cook for 2 minutes.
- 5
Add the lime juice, check the salt and serve with rice and avocado.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
