Mazamorra Chiquita: Andean Meat and Tuber Soup

Mazamorra Chiquita is one of the most important and representative culinary masterpieces of the Cundiboyacense region in Colombia. This incredibly rich and hearty soup is packed with an array of different meats, local Andean tubers, and fresh vegetables from the high-altitude orchards.

The secret to this modern 2-hour and 15-minute recipe is cooking the tripe separately in a pressure cooker while the other meats simmer into a rich broth. Combining everything later with a vast array of endemic tubers and thickening it with corn flour delivers the soul-warming comfort of the traditional dish without the typical three-day fermentation process.

Mazamorra Chiquita (Andean Meat and Tuber Soup)

A monumental soup from the Andean highlands! A rich broth packed with beef, pork, tripe, endemic tubers, and thickened with corn flour.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Soups & Stews

Cuisine Andean, Colombian, Latin American

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

• ½ lb White corn flour or 1 cup ground tender corn
• 10 cups Water
• 1 lb Tripe Mondongo/menudo
• 1 lb Beef ribs Chopped
• 1 lb Beef shank Murillo, chopped or dried beef
• 1 lb Pork meat Chopped
• ½ lb Chicken Chopped, optional
• 4 Scallion stalks Cut into strips
• 4 Garlic cloves Crushed
• ½ lb Green peas
• ½ lb Fava beans Habas
• ½ lb Cubios Andean tuber, sliced
• 4 Tender ears of corn Kernels removed
• ½ lb Turnips Peeled and chopped
• ½ lb Chuguas and Hibias Andean tubers, small and whole
• ½ lb Carrots Peeled and chopped
• ½ lb Pastusa potatoes Peeled and cubed
• ½ lb Small Sabanera potatoes Half-peeled
• ½ lb Small Criolla potatoes Whole
• ½ lb Leafy greens stems Chard, cabbage, or collard greens
• Salt to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Start the main broth: In a very large pot, pour 7 cups of water. Add the chopped beef ribs, beef shank, pork, 3 sliced scallions, 3 crushed garlic cloves, salt, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and let it cook for 1 hour.
• Cook the tripe: While the main broth cooks, clean the tripe thoroughly. Place it in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, 1 sliced scallion, 1 crushed garlic clove, and your preferred aromatics. Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes. Once safe to open, remove the tripe, cut it into small squares, and reserve its cooking broth.
• Combine and add vegetables: Add the chopped tripe and its reserved broth to the large pot with the other meats. Immediately add the peas, fava beans, cubios, corn kernels, carrots, turnips, and the leafy green stems. Let everything cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. (Chef's Hack: If using the optional chopped chicken, add it during this step).
• Thicken the soup: Take a small amount of warm broth from the pot and dissolve the white corn flour in it (or simply add the ground tender corn directly). Stir this mixture slowly into the simmering soup using a wooden spoon. Continue cooking and stirring until the broth thickens beautifully.
• Serve: Remove from the heat and serve this magnificent soup hot. It is traditionally accompanied by white rice, warm arepas, and avocado chili sauce (ají de aguacate)!

Video

Notes

• Traditional 3-Day Method: The authentic, ancestral preparation of this dish requires grinding raw corn and leaving it submerged in water in a clay pot for 3 days to ferment. This naturally fermented corn dough is then used to thicken the soup, imparting a distinct, sour tang.
• Harvest Celebration: Historically, Mazamorra Chiquita is a celebratory dish, prepared especially during the local corn harvest season when fresh corn and endemic tubers are abundant in the campesino orchards.
• Endemic Ingredients: Tubers like cubios, chuguas, and hibias are native to the high-altitude Andean paramos. They provide a very specific earthy flavor and texture that is difficult to replicate with standard root vegetables.

Keywords Andean Meat and Tuber Soup, Mazamorra chiquita