Asopao

Ingredients

Sofrito

• 1large onion, chopped
• 1green pepper, chopped
• 4ají gustoso or 1 red pepper, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1 bunchcoriander, stalks included
• 3 tbspoil

The pot

• 1.2 kgchicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in
• 300 gmedium-grain rice
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspground cumin
• 2bay leaves
• 80 ggreen olives with capers (alcaparrado)
• 1.8 litreschicken stock
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper

To finish

• 150 gfrozen peas
• 1red pepper, in strips
• chopped coriander
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Blend the sofrito ingredients (except the oil) to a coarse green purée.
2. Season the chicken well and brown it in the oil in a wide heavy pot, in batches, about 4 minutes a side. Take it out.
3. Pour the sofrito into the same pot and cook 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and loses its raw smell. Add the tomato paste, oregano and cumin and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Return the chicken, add the stock, bay and olives, and simmer 25 minutes until the chicken is tender.
5. Stir in the rice and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Asopao is soupy — the name comes from sopa — and should stay loose enough to eat with a spoon from a bowl.
6. Add hot stock whenever it thickens too far. The rice keeps absorbing after the pot leaves the heat, so finish it looser than seems right.
7. Fold in the peas and pepper strips in the last 4 minutes. Rest 5 minutes, then serve with coriander and lime.

Technique

• Cook the sofrito out properly. Eight minutes of patience here is the difference between a rounded stew and one that tastes of raw onion and pepper.
• Medium-grain rice, and stir it. Long-grain kept separate gives a pilaf, which is a different dish.
• The olives bring salt as well as flavour, so season lightly until they have gone in.

Substitutions

• Seafood asopao — prawns, mussels and firm white fish added in the last 6 minutes instead of chicken.
• Ají gustoso are mild and aromatic; sweet red peppers plus a pinch of oregano approximate them.

Variations

• Asopao de camarones, the seafood version, a Puerto Rican and Dominican coastal staple.
• A Puerto Rican version finished with a spoonful of achiote oil for colour.

History

A Hispanic Caribbean rice pottage shared with Puerto Rico, cooked wetter than locrio and served on rainy days and at late-night gatherings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asopao?

Asopao is a soup & stew from Dominican Republic: soupy rice with chicken or seafood, thick with sofrito and herbs. A Hispanic Caribbean rice pottage shared with Puerto Rico, cooked wetter than locrio and served on rainy days and at late-night gatherings.

How long does Asopao take to make?

Asopao takes 25 min of preparation and 55 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Asopao?

Yes, within limits. Seafood asopao — prawns, mussels and firm white fish added in the last 6 minutes instead of chicken. Ají gustoso are mild and aromatic; sweet red peppers plus a pinch of oregano approximate them.

What is the most important thing to get right in Asopao?

Cook the sofrito out properly. Eight minutes of patience here is the difference between a rounded stew and one that tastes of raw onion and pepper.