Changua (Milky Colombian Breakfast Soup)

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Changua is a milky breakfast soup common in the central Andes region of Colombia, including Bogota, where Donatello is from.

Donatello often makes changua for breakfast on the weekends. We’ve optimized our pantry so that we have all the ingredients on hand at all times. The fresh ingredients, milk and eggs, are staples in our fridge and so we always have them. The two fresh items that changua requires are the green onion and cilantro, which we store in our freezer. We wash and dry any leftover cilantro stems from other recipes and freeze them for this occasion. Most recipes call for cilantro leaves only, but the stems have so much flavour and freeze much better than the leaves. Similarly, we keep green onions and old bread ends in bags in the freezer.

The base in changua is milk. We use skim because that’s what we normally drink, but you can use your favourite version. Because the soup uses milk and not cream, the broth is not heavy like other creamy soups. The egg and cheese add some protein and richness, while the cilantro and green onion add brightness and colour. Changua is refreshing yet comforting, and is a great way to use up stale bread.

The cheese in changua should be white and semi-soft, but the type you use will depend on what is available in your area. We prefer to go to the local Latin markets to buy our fresh cheese. For the Torontonians, we like Sombrero’s Panela at Perola’s Supermarket, or Queso Fresco from O Nosso Talho. You could even use paneer, but you may need to add some more salt to the changua since this is usually an unseasoned cheese. We always have a block of mozzarella in our freezer as a backup, in case we don’t have any fresh white cheese on hand.

Find our other Colombian recipes here:

• Ajiaco – chicken soup
• Arepas – cornmeal and cheese patties
• The Best Avocado Salad
• Hot Chocolate with Cheese