Peruvian

Sopa a la Criolla

“Peruvian Andean creamy beef-and-noodle soup — thin angel-hair pasta + thinly-sliced beef in a milky broth with ají amarillo, milk, oregano and a poached egg, finished with chopped scallion — a Peruvian soda-fountain classic and home-kitchen staple.”

Easy45 min

Where it comes from

Sopa a la Criolla ('creole soup') is a Peruvian Andean comfort soup, found at every Peruvian-American restaurant and home kitchen. The combination of thin pasta + beef + ají amarillo + milk + egg is uniquely Peruvian — Spanish soup-making technique applied to Andean ají + Andean dairy. The dish is popular as a hangover-cure soup, weekday workplace cafeteria lunch, or quick weeknight dinner. Modern Lima restaurants often serve it as an afternoon snack soup; rural Cusco households make it daily.

On the plate

A bowl of Sopa a la Criolla is the Peruvian comfort soup: creamy-yellow broth, thin angel-hair pasta visible, strips of beef floating, a poached egg with runny yolk in the center. The first spoonful: warm milky broth with subtle ají heat, tender beef, soft pasta, herbal oregano. Break the egg yolk; it pours through the soup, enriching everything. This is Peru's chicken-noodle-soup equivalent — every household has it for lunch, sick days, and Sunday afternoons.

How it works

The milky broth depends on adding milk + evaporated milk LATE (not at the start) — boiling milk for the whole simmer would curdle. The thin pasta cooks in 4 min and absorbs broth, becoming silky-soft. Beef strips are flash-cooked first (to retain pink) then added back to gentle heat — long-simmering would toughen them.

Variations

Lima canonical with beef + ají amarillo + milk + egg; Cusco Andean variant adds quinoa instead of pasta (more traditional); modern restaurants serve 'Sopa a la Minuta' with bigger beef chunks; commercial dehydrated sopa packets exist but the freshness is lost.

On the Palate

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 tbsp pasteAji Amarillo

1 tbsp pasteAji Panca

1 tsp ground + 1/4 cup freshOregano

How it's made

8 steps · Show ↓

30 min active · 15 min waiting

1
3 min
Slice 300g beef sirloin or tenderloin into very thin strips (3mm wide x 6cm long).
2
4 min
In a heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp neutral oil over high heat. Stir-fry the beef strips 90 sec until just-browned outside. Remove to a plate.
3
10 min
Sauté 1 finely chopped onion + 4 minced garlic cloves in the same pot 6 min. Add 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste + 1 tbsp ají panca paste + 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp oregano + 1 tsp paprika; stir 1 min.
4
5 min
Add 1 chopped tomato; cook 2 min. Add 1.2L beef broth; bring to a simmer.
5
5 min
Add 100g cabello de ángel (angel hair pasta, broken into 4cm pieces; substitute thin spaghetti); simmer 4 min until al dente.
6
5 min
Return the beef to the pot. Add 250ml whole milk + 250ml evaporated milk + 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano. Stir gently. Simmer 3 min over LOW heat (don't boil).
7
4 min
Crack 4 eggs into the soup, one at a time, gently — let them poach in the hot broth 3 min (yolks still runny). Don't stir.
8
3 min
Plate: ladle soup into 4 deep bowls, distributing the beef + pasta + 1 poached egg per bowl. Garnish each with chopped scallions + a few drops of olive oil. Serve immediately with crusty bread or rice on the side.

What you'll need

Cast-Iron Skillet

A heavy, single-piece cast iron pan, 25-30 cm across, weighing 1.5-2.5 kg. Once preheated, the thick mass holds 230°C+ even when a cold steak hits the surface — that's the secret to a deep crust. A well-seasoned skillet (multiple thin layers of polymerized oil baked into the iron) is essentially nonstick, gets better with use, and lasts a century. Lodge skillets from Tennessee have been in continuous production since 1896.

Poaching Simmering