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1
Crush the Beef and Rice
10 Mins
No heat
Put the ground beef and the rinsed rice in a food processor with 120ml of the cold water and pulse until they form a smooth, even paste, with no lumps of meat left. If you have a mortar, crush the beef and rice together with the pestle in batches. Set the paste aside with any juices.
A smooth paste is the whole secret — lumps here become lumps in the soup.
Done when: A uniform pale-pink paste with no visible chunks of meat or whole grains of rice.
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2
Make the Sofrito
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture is thick and well blended, then take the pot off the heat and let it cool slightly.
Letting the sofrito cool slightly before it meets the beef paste keeps the meat from seizing.
Done when: A thick, fragrant sofrito with the tomato cooked down into the onion and pepper.
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3
Dissolve and Bring to a Boil
10 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
Put the beef paste and its juices into the pot with the sofrito and the remaining cold water, and stir well with a wooden spoon until the paste is completely dissolved and the liquid is evenly cloudy. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon.
Stir constantly as it heats — this is the moment the soup either stays smooth or separates.
Done when: The liquid is evenly cloudy with no lumps, and it comes to a rolling boil.
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4
Add Rice, Potato and Carrot
20 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the diced potato and carrot and simmer, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes until the potato is tender and the rice cooked through. The beef must reach 71°C (160°F) — it will, well before the vegetables are done, but check with a thermometer if you are unsure.
Stirring now and then keeps the rice from settling and sticking to the bottom.
Done when: The potato is tender, the rice is soft, the soup is thick enough to coat a spoon, and the beef reads at least 71°C (160°F).
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5
Season and Rest
5 Mins
No heat
Take the pot off the heat and only now add the salt and the oregano — salt added earlier can make the meat and the liquid separate. Stir in half the parsley, taste, adjust the salt, and let the soup rest for 5 minutes so it thickens a little more.
Seasoning at the end is not a superstition in this soup; it is the difference between a smooth soup and a split one.
Done when: The soup tastes well seasoned, the herbs are fragrant, and the surface is glossy, not split.
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6
Serve with Spring Onion
2 Mins
No heat
Ladle the soup into deep bowls and scatter the sliced spring onion and the remaining parsley over each one. Serve at once, with bread on the side for soaking up the thick broth.
Ladle from the bottom of the pot so each bowl gets its fair share of beef and rice.
Done when: Steaming bowls, thick with beef and vegetables, bright with green onion on top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the soup steaming hot in deep bowls, with bread alongside — the thick broth is made for soaking up. A slice of sopa paraguaya, the Paraguayan cornbread, is the traditional partner if you have it.
Paraguay
1h 5m
