User:Tito14sg

Traditional Ecuadorian Cuisine:

Two of the most well known dishes served in Ecuador are very unique to their region and style. However, no matter what part of the country people might be, these two dishes are recognized moreover for their function.

Ecuadorian tradition holds a unique habit when it comes to serving meals and that consists of two dishes, a soup and a rice platter. For the most part, Ecuador is known not only for its bananas and all the dishes made from them, but for its starch consumption of products like potato, bread, rice, and yucca. Traditionally any of these factors can be found in either the soup or the rice platter that may be served. As mentioned preciously, depending on the region of the country the use of these products varies, but for most Ecuadorians there are two that stick out, “Un Encebollado” along side “Un Churrasco.”

The background behind these two dishes consists on their ingredients. As noted later on this article, the use of the ingredients are basically the same but create two very different dishes. The simplicity of the types of ingredients used as well as the preparations taken to each show the true roots of these dishes, their native culture. Many cultures are very popular to be identified for their foods, (such as Italy with pizza/pasta, Portuguese flamed roasted meat.. etc.) and in most cases dealing with the products they have an abundance of resource of, well these are Ecuador’s. Interestingly enough these dishes are known as the “poor mans dish” for its is very inexpensive to buy or make, increasing the popularity of the dishes due to rough economical statutes of the country and mainly because these were created by the common people for themselves. The names of these plates, “Encebollado” and “Churrasco” originate from the native language spoken in Ecuador and other regions of South America, quechua. Encebollado refers the main ingredient in the soup with is cebollas meaning onions. Churrasco on the other hand refers to a type of meat which is charred or fried. Finally, the reason these two dishes have also grown to its popularity in the country has been for its functionality, “ THE HANGOVER CURE.” Most of the times, the reason these two dishes are served congruently is as follows. The potent taste of the soup served with traditional hot sauce helps with the upset stomach of a hangover, and the follow up of the rice platter involving a combination of meat rice and salad help fill the stomach to rid of hunger and help absorb the alcohol in the system.

Following are the recipes and preparation of each as well as an image of the final dish.

ENCEBOLLADO:

Ingredients: Preparation: Cook the yucca in 3 cups of water and salt, once the yucca is soft, strain the water out. IN a pot cook the fish also in 3 cups of water with salt, add the hot sauce, cilantro, Ajinomoto, pepper, seasoning, and tomatoes. Once cooked, remove the fish and cut it into strips. Take the remaining soup and add it to the yucca, make sure the yucca has been smashed into smaller pieces. Finally add the fish strips back on the stew and get ready to serve.
 * 2 lbs. fresh Albacore tuna
 * 1 lbs. Yucca
 * 1 sliced red onion
 * 1 sliced Tomato
 * 3 teaspoons hot sauce
 * Salt, pepper, cilantro. Seasoning, Ajinomoto

Way to serve: Once the fish has been added serve the dish add on top some more fresh red onion slices along with fresh sliced tomatoes. Along side include following things to help add the flavor; more hot sauce, lemon slices, oil, and some bread.

CHURRASCO

Ingredients:
 * 2 lbs. of beef steak preferably cut thin or to desired thickness
 * 12 crushed garlic cloves
 * 1 teaspoon ground seasoning
 * 2 eggs
 * Homemade fries (quantity as desired)
 * Plantains
 * Tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, avocado
 * Hot sauce, salt, pepper

Preparation: First thing is to create the marinade to induce the steak, so take the garlic, seasoning, salt, and pepper and grind it to make it into a marinade powder. Cover the steak with this marinade and let sit for some time. In the mean time, prepare some rice to the desired amount in a pot with water salt and oil. As the rice cooks, make some homemade French fries by slicing some potatoes and frying them in a pan. Once the fries are done fry the eggs sunny side up and set both aside but keep warm. After this, prepare a salad with the lettuce, tomato, onions, and cucumbers. Along side cut a slice of avocado to go along with the salad. Now back to the steak, in a pan with oil, fry (or grill if desire) the meat to desired doneness.

Way to serve: In a dish place the done steaks first, on top place the fried eggs. Adorn the plate with the salad and avocado already prepared. Place the rice and the fries as desired on the dish. Serve with some hot sauce, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper on the side.

SOURCES: http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/1155/recetas/fencebol.html http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/06/03/ecuadorian-churrasco/