Aguadito de Pavo (Peruvian Turkey Soup)

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Aguadito de Pavo, Peruvian Turkey Soup

Aguadito de Pavo, Peruvian Turkey Soup

In Peru, an aguadito is a family of soups, and the Aguadito de Pavo, or turkey soup, is perfect for the Thanksgiving season. All you need to prep is a few veggies, a cilantro purée, rice, and an aji amarillo sofrito and you’ll have a soup that is warm, a little spicy, and full of the unique flavors of Peru.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Tony Custer’s The Art of Peruvian Cuisine, but I added yam for a more seasonal flavor, and for simplicity the rice is already cooked. Also, I used some Better than Bouillon Chicken Base to make the chicken broth and omitted the Pisco in the original recipe.

In this recipe, I sauté some turkey breast tenderloin with the onions and aji amarillo, but in the notes below I describe how you can make this soup using turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner. That way, you can make good use of leftovers and enjoy a Peruvian aguadito that will keep you warm on a cold winter day in California.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 turkey breast tenderloin pieces (about 3/4 lb. total)
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon aji amarillo
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 jewel yam
  • 1 small red pepper
  • 1 small Yukon gold potato
  • green peas
  • corn kernels
  • cooked rice
  • cilantro purée
PREPARATION

In addition to the ingredients above, you’ll need a pot to cook the soup and an immersion blender to make the cilantro purée.

  1. Mince the garlic and dice the onion and red pepper. Peel and dice the yam and potato. Measure corn kernels and peas in amount equal to the diced potato and yam. Cut the turkey into small bite size cubes.
  2. Use an immersion blender to purée cilantro leafs with a small amount of water in a bowl.
  3. Make the chicken broth by adding 1 teaspoon of chicken base to 3 cups of hot water.
  4. Sauté the onion, garlic, and aji amarillo in a pot with canola oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add the turkey pieces, brown, mix with the sofrito, and reduce heat, covered for about 10 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.
  7. Add the yam and red pepper, cook for about 5 minutes.
  8. Add the potato, cook for about 5 minutes.
  9. Add the peas and corn, cook for about 5 minutes.
  10. Serve in a soup bowl with a scoop of rice in the center and a teaspoon of cilantro purée over the rice.
SERVINGS

6 servings.

NOTES

If you have some previously cooked Turkey from Thanksgiving dinner, you can add small pieces of Turkey to the onion and aji amarillo sofrito in step 5, and skip the 10 minutes of cooking time. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peas and corn.