Colombian Egg and Potato Soup (Not the Chinese One)

Name: Colombian Egg and Potato Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups water (or milk, for something closer to changua); 2 eggs (cracked in whole, not beaten); 1 scallion, chopped (cebolla larga); 1 potato, diced or sliced; Cilantro (at the end, off the heat); Salt and pepper, to taste

Potato and scallion boiled in water, with eggs cracked in whole to poach in the broth and cilantro over the top. Ten minutes, two servings, and it is a close relative of changua.

Total: 10

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Potato and scallion boiled in water, with the eggs cracked in whole to poach in the broth. Ten minutes from start to bowl, and breakfast rather than a starter.

Not the Chinese egg drop soup

Worth clearing up, because the name points somewhere else entirely. In Chinese egg drop soup the eggs are beaten and poured into swirling broth so they set into ribbons.

Here they go in whole and unbeaten, one at a time, and poach in the broth like a poached egg in water. The yolk stays whole until you break it with a spoon, and it thickens the soup as it runs out. Same ingredient, different dish.

How long for the eggs

Five minutes as the recipe says gives a firmly set yolk. Two or three gives a runny one, and in Colombia the runny yolk breaking into the broth is half the reason for eating it.

Cracking each egg into a cup first and sliding it in gently keeps the yolk intact. Straight from the shell into boiling water usually breaks it.

Its cousin is changua

Swap the water for milk and this becomes changua, the Bogotá breakfast soup: same potato, same scallion, same poached eggs, but in milk. Changua is more famous and more divisive, and this water-based version is the everyday one.

Both are served with an arepa or a piece of bread to dip, and both are eaten in the morning.

The cilantro goes in last

Off the heat, scattered over the top. Cilantro boiled in the pot loses its smell and turns grey, and the smell is the point.

More soups

Changua — the same soup made with milk.
Egg tortilla soup — the other Colombian egg soup.
Cassava and potato soup — for a bigger appetite.
Chicken and rice soup — the Sunday one.

Egg Soup FAQ

Is this the same as Chinese egg drop soup?

No, despite the name. In the Chinese version the eggs are beaten and stirred into the broth to form ribbons. Here they go in whole and unbeaten and poach in the broth, so you get whole eggs with intact yolks in a potato soup.

How do I keep the yolk from breaking?

Crack each egg into a cup first and slide it gently into the pot rather than cracking it straight into boiling water. Lower the heat to a bare simmer before they go in.

How long should the eggs cook?

Five minutes gives a firmly set yolk; two or three gives a runny one. In Colombia the runny yolk breaking into the broth is part of the appeal, so shorter is arguably better.

What is the difference between this and changua?

Milk. Changua is made with milk instead of water and is the classic Bogotá breakfast. Everything else is the same: potato, scallion, poached eggs, cilantro on top.

Can I use regular onion instead of scallion?

It will work but taste different. Cebolla larga, the long green scallion, is milder and more aromatic and is what Colombian soups are built on. Bulb onion is sharper and takes longer to soften.

📖 Recipe