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Changua

Bogotá's milk, egg and spring onion breakfast soup

Changua is the breakfast soup of Bogotá and the high plains of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, where cold mornings call for something hot before work. Milk and water are simmered with spring onion, eggs are poached right in the pot, and the bowls get fresh coriander and pieces of stale bread or calado (dried toasted bread) that soften in the broth. It is gentle, creamy and filling. Chef's tip: keep the milk at a bare simmer; if it boils hard it can catch on the bottom and the eggs break apart.
Total time
15 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
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Ingredients

Serves2

Method

0/4 done
  1. Step 1: Put 1 ¾ cups whole milk, 1 cup water, 2 spring onions and ½ tsp salt in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring now and then, about 5 minutes.

    5 min
  2. Step 2: Lower the heat so the surface just trembles. Crack 2 eggs one by one into a cup and slide them into the pot.

  3. Step 3: Poach until the whites are set and the yolks still soft, 3–4 minutes. Don't stir. A common mistake is letting it boil, which turns the milk grainy.

    4 min
  4. Step 4: Put 1 ⅜ oz day-old bread or calado in two deep bowls, ladle in the broth with one egg each and scatter with 1 tbsp fresh coriander. Eat at once.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
310 kcal
Protein
17 g
Carbs
23 g
Fat
16 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does changua take?
About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of whole milk?
Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
What can I use instead of spring onions?
Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.

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