Destination
Bogota
The story
Changua is Bogotá's morning broth: equal parts milk and water simmered with spring onion, cracked with a whole egg (or two) poached directly in the pot, finished with chopped fresh coriander and a good grind of pepper, and ladled over torn pieces of dry country bread or almojábana in the bowl. Salty, milky, comforting. A specific Andean breakfast for cold Bogotá mornings, and the traditional Sunday-morning cure after a Saturday night out.
Method
In a wide, shallow saucepan, combine the milk, water, the whites of the spring onions, salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring gently to a very low simmer over medium heat. Don't let it boil (milk boils over fast).
Once the liquid is barely simmering (small bubbles at the edges only), crack the eggs directly into the pot, spaced apart. Cook 3 to 4 minutes without stirring, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
Stir in the greens of the spring onions and most of the coriander (save some for the bowls).
Tear the almojábanas or bread into rough chunks and divide between 4 warm bowls.
Ladle the hot broth and one egg into each bowl, aiming for the bread to catch under the egg so the yolk breaks and soaks in. Scatter with remaining coriander. Serve immediately with a small dish of ají picante for anyone who wants heat.
Tips
- Don't boil the milk. Milk breaks and separates when boiled hard. Keep the pot at a bare simmer (small bubbles only at the edges). If it starts to climb the sides, pull it off the heat for 10 seconds.
- Whole milk, not skimmed. The whole milk is what gives changua its body. Skimmed milk turns the dish into a watery broth with an egg in it.
- Fresh eggs poach best. Older eggs spread into feathered whites in the liquid. Fresh eggs (less than a week old) hold a tighter shape when cracked into the simmering broth.
- Torn bread, not sliced. Big rough chunks of bread soak up more broth than neat slices. Almojábana is the classic; a day-old rustic sourdough or country loaf is a fine substitute.
- Best eaten immediately. Changua doesn't hold. The bread turns to mush, the eggs overcook in the hot liquid, and the whole thing loses its balance. Poach and serve, straight from the pan.
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