Vori vori

Ingredients

Broth

• 1free-range chicken (1.6 kg), jointed into 8
• 2onions, diced
• 1red pepper, diced
• 3spring onions, sliced
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsalt
• 2 litreswater

Vori vori (the balls)

• 300 gfine white cornmeal
• 150 gqueso Paraguay, finely grated
• 1egg
• 3–4 tbsphot broth from the pot

To finish

• 2 tbspchopped flat parsley or coriander
• 1 tspdried oregano, rubbed between the palms

Directions

1. Brown the chicken pieces in the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, 4 minutes a side, until well coloured. Lift out.
2. Sweat the onion, red pepper and spring onion in the same fat for 8 minutes, then add the cumin and bay for 30 seconds.
3. Return the chicken with the water and salt, bring to a simmer and skim. Cook covered 45 minutes, until the meat pulls away from the bone.
4. Meanwhile mix the cornmeal and grated cheese, work in the egg, then add hot broth a spoon at a time until you have a stiff, damp paste that holds together when squeezed in the fist.
5. Roll walnut-sized balls of about 25 g between wet palms. Keep them light; compressing them makes them heavy and doughy.
6. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, which shatters the balls. Drop them in, cover and cook 15–20 minutes.
7. They are ready when they float, feel set through and the centre is soft and cheesy. Taste the broth for salt; it should be light, savoury and faintly sweet from the peppers.
8. Scatter the herbs and serve straight from the pot in deep bowls, 3–4 vori per person with a piece of chicken.

Technique

• The name is Guaraní reduplication, roughly ball-ball, from the Spanish bolita. It is winter food, sickbed food and hangover food, and it is always served scalding.
• The paste must be simmered, not boiled. If the balls crumble the paste was too dry, so add hot broth a spoon at a time until it just coheres.
• Some cooks use half fine cornmeal and half maize flour for a softer ball; a few add a spoon of the broth’s fat to the paste for richness.

Substitutions

• No queso Paraguay: two parts mozzarella to one part feta, grated fine.
• An old boiling hen, simmered 2 hours, gives a much better broth than a young bird if you can find one.

Variations

• Vori vori de gallina, the classic, made with a hen and a longer simmer.
• Vori vori de carne, built on beef ribs instead of chicken.
• So’o josopy, a related Paraguayan soup of pounded beef, often served alongside.

History

Chicken broth with cornmeal and cheese dumplings; the doubled Guarani-style name comes from bolita, Spanish for little ball.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vori vori?

Vori vori is a soup & stew from Paraguay: chicken broth with corn-and-cheese dumpling balls. Chicken broth with cornmeal and cheese dumplings; the doubled Guarani-style name comes from bolita, Spanish for little ball.

How long does Vori vori take to make?

Vori vori takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Vori vori?

Yes, within limits. No queso Paraguay: two parts mozzarella to one part feta, grated fine. An old boiling hen, simmered 2 hours, gives a much better broth than a young bird if you can find one.

What is the most important thing to get right in Vori vori?

Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, which shatters the balls. Drop them in, cover and cook 15–20 minutes.