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1
Soften the Onion and Garlic
5 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the white parts of the spring onions and the garlic with the cumin, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and fragrant but not browned.
If the garlic starts to colour, turn the heat down at once — browned garlic turns the whole soup bitter.
Done when: The onion is soft and translucent and the kitchen smells of garlic.
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2
Simmer the Potatoes
15 Mins
Medium heat, about 100°C (212°F) — a gentle boil
Add the potatoes, water and salt, bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potato cubes are completely tender and a few are starting to break at the edges — those broken edges thicken the soup.
A gentle simmer, not a rolling boil: hard boiling knocks the cubes to mush.
Done when: A cube crushes easily against the side of the pot with a spoon.
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3
Add the Milk and Cheese
5 Mins
Low heat, about 85°C (185°F) — never boiling
Take the pot off the boil and turn the heat to low. Pour in the milk and add the cheese cubes, then warm through for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring gently, until the cheese has softened. Do not let the soup boil from this point on — boiling splits the milk.
If the milk looks like it might catch, lift the pot off the heat for a few seconds.
Done when: The broth is milky and hot, the cheese cubes soft but still holding their shape.
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4
Poach the Eggs
5 Mins
Low heat, about 90°C (195°F) — a bare simmer
Slide each egg gently into the soup from its cup, spacing them apart, and cover the pot. Poach at a bare simmer for 4 to 5 minutes without stirring, until the whites are fully set and the yolks are still soft. The yolks should reach at least 63°C (145°F).
Do not stir once the eggs are in — stirring tears the whites into ribbons.
Done when: The whites are opaque and set, the yolks soft and trembling.
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5
Finish and Serve
3 Mins
Off the heat, about 70°C (160°F)
Stir in the coriander and the green spring onion tops. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each bowl gets one whole poached egg and a fair share of cheese, and serve at once with warm arepas.
Ladle from the bottom of the pot so each bowl gets potato, cheese and broth — not just broth.
Done when: Each bowl has one intact poached egg, cheese cubes and tender potato in milky broth.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the soup steaming hot in deep bowls, one poached egg per person, with arepas on the side for dunking — break the yolk into the broth at the table and let it turn the soup golden.
Venezuela
3h
