Breakfast
Changua
Ingredients
- - Whole milk — 500 ml (2 cups)
- - Water — 500 ml (2 cups)
- - Scallions, finely sliced — 3
- - Large eggs — 4
- - Salt — 1 tsp
- - Fresh cilantro, chopped — 2 tbsp
- - Stale bread, cut into cubes (calado) — 4 (4 slices)
Method
- Combine the milk, water, scallions and salt in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Crack the eggs one at a time into the simmering liquid and poach for 3-4 minutes until the whites are set but yolks remain soft.
- Place a few cubes of stale bread into each serving bowl.
- Ladle the hot milk broth and one poached egg over the bread in each bowl.
- Scatter with fresh cilantro and serve immediately while steaming hot.
Introduction: Changua is a gentle milk-and-water soup with poached eggs and scallions, eaten for breakfast in the cold highlands around Bogotá.
Cultural Background: Changua is a gentle milk-and-water soup with poached eggs and scallions, eaten for breakfast in the cold highlands around Bogotá. It descends from muisca and Spanish dairy traditions merging on the Andean plateau, and remains a comforting, humble start to the day in colder Colombian regions.
Tips: Keep the milk at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, or it will split and curdle before the eggs finish poaching.
Variations: Some households add a knob of butter or a piece of queso campesino melted into the broth just before serving. Naturally vegetarian as written.
Storage: Changua does not store well due to the poached egg and dairy base; it is meant to be eaten immediately after cooking.
Reheating: Not recommended to reheat; if needed, warm gently over low heat without boiling and serve straight away.
Nutrition: Per serving (approx.): 220 kcal, 12g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 11g fat, 1g fibre.
FAQs
Q: Why did my milk curdle?
A: The heat was too high; changua should only ever be brought to a light simmer.
Q: What bread works best?
A: Slightly stale, dense white bread (pan campesino) holds its shape better than fresh soft bread.