Vegan Sancocho

Sancocho is the definition of Puerto Rican comfort food! It is known for being the perfect soup at any time of the year; even in hot weather, no one can resist a good bowl of sancocho.

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free 

It’s been extremely rainy & cold for the pasts 2 weeks! Yesterday, I spent the entire day in a turtle neck & long pants, while working from home; that just never happens because we always get 80F weather. That’s why today I’m sharing with you a hearty and comforting soup/chowder to make it through the grey days. 

Plus this is the perfect time to share this recipe since it’s a staple of our Holidays, and as I’ve said before, the Holidays have already begun here. 

Spice up this Holiday Season, with the definition of Puerto Rican comfort food: Sancocho. Vegan Sancocho of course! Another recipe for the #VeganizedPuertoRican collection. 

The Origin

Sancocho is a traditional soup/chowder/stew in Latin American cuisine. You can find variations of it in many countries like Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, and of course, Puerto Rico. 

This recipe has been made by my grandmother usually on very cold days, or days when one of us is a little bit under the weather. But I remember it the most, for it being a staple during our holiday festivities. This is the meal that people have after midnight after a long night of partying; i.e. right after midnight on new years, as a “pick-me-up” to continue partying. 

“Okay, but what is it?” Sancocho usually consists of large pieces of meat, tubers, and vegetables, cooked together in beef broth; but being this a vegan blog, you know that that’s not how we roll here😉 It is characterized by being an all-year-round type of meal; hot or cold, nobody says no to a good bowl of sancocho.

The Idea

Truth be told, I obviously didn’t come up with the concept. This recipe has been around for probably 200+ years, and like I said there are many variations across Latin America; there are even some Vegan Sancocho recipes out there. 

However, today I’m sharing the version that my grandmother has been making since I stopped eating meat. You’ll notice that this version is thicker in consistency than the usual sancocho, and it’s because we prefer it that way. We add grated green bananas to the broth, and the result is an irresistible hearty chowder, filled with nothing but good-for-you ingredients. 

“Okay but, sancocho with no meat? Pfft.” Yes, deal with it. With root veggies like taro, yam, sweet potato, apio (arracacha), and very good seasonings, you won’t even notice that the meat isn’t there. By adding chickpeas to the mix you can get the protein, and everything else is healthy carbohydrates. If you want an ingredient to add that replicates the meaty texture, you can add mushrooms (better if dehydrated) or green jackfruit.

Notes:

• Sancocho variations: If you research sancocho, one of the things that varies a lot is how it looks; usually the color and the thickness. This is due to the type of root vegetables used. Our sancocho orange because we use a lot of orange veggies (carrot, pumpkin & sweet potato) and it’s thick because we add grated green bananas to the mix. 
• On another variation note, feel free to swap in or out any veggies. They’re completely interchangeable; as long as you keep veggie roots as the main ingredients (after all, that’s what makes sancocho what it is).
• For the plantain balls, just simply grate the plantains, let rest in salted water for about 20 minutes, then strain and form into balls. 

Recipe: Vegan Sancocho

Serves: 2-4 Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sofrito
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 large onions, cut julienne style
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 recao leaves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• ½ tbsp paprika
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 cups veggie stock (or water)
• 5 green bananas, grated
• 1 lilac taro (malanga), peeled & cut into cubes
• 1 sweet potato, peeled & cut into cubes
• 1 apio root (arracacha), peeled & cut into cubes
• 1 yam, peeled & cut into cubes
• 2 potatoes, peeled & cut into cubes
• ½ pumpkin, peeled & cut into cubes
• 3 carrots, peeled & sliced
• Optional: 1 ear of corn, cut into rounds
• Optional: 1 cup chickpeas
• Optional: green plantains, grated & shaped into balls

Procedure:

1. To a large boiling pot, add the olive oil and sauté the garlic, onions, chickpeas, sofrito, tomato sauce, oregano and recao, over medium heat. Cook and stir for a few seconds.
2. Add 2 cups of the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Allow chickpeas to soften for about 5 minutes. 
3. When the chickpeas are cooked through, add the taro, sweet potato, apio, yam, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, corn and plantain balls. Cover vegetables with the remainder of the veggie stock, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt & pepper (to taste).
4. Bring to a boil again, and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables and roots are cooked through. Pro tip: Check and stir continuously, add more liquid if needed.
5. Then, add the grated green bananas, to thicken up the remaining liquid. Season again if desired. Cook for an extra 15-20 minutes.
6. When everything is cooked through, serve over rice, top with some avocado slices, and have some tostones on the side (extra bonus if they’re tostones de pana). ENJOY!

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