‘Cada cocinero tiene su librito‘ (every cook has his/her own little book) goes the Dominican saying. Each home has its own traditions, likes and dislikes. It is impossible to offer you recipes that duplicate the flavors of each of your homes, and the flavors of each home are contained in the base for Dominican cooking: the sofrito / sazón.
Some time ago somebody asked if anyone had a good recipe for home-made ‘sazon/sofrito’. Always keen to help, our regular readers shared their recipes with us. Here are three. Feel free to share yours with us too.
Karima’s recipe
- 2 bunches of cilantro
- 4 radishes
- 1 of each: green, red, and yellow pepper
- 1 onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 lime (just the juice)
- if you like a couple of the small hot yellow and orange peppers,
- only two sometimes they are really hot.
- I put all of these ingredients into a blender and set it a chop or blend, you don’t want it watery, you could even use a food processor. I put it in a container, and refrigerate it. It keeps for a long time at least 3 weeks.
Vitico’s recipe
- Olive Oil
- Tomato paste
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Although I have learned to interchange Oregano and Cilantro. When I use one I don’t use the other.
Kjdrga’s recipe
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 sopita (bouillon cubes)
- a bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 of aji / pepper (the one they sell in the DR long pale green not hot)
- a tablespoon of bitter orange
- half a red onion (depending on its size if small a whole one)
- a tomato or two seeded
- a little olive oil
- I either use a blender or food processor. I like to baste chicken with this and roast it in the oven, basting every 15 minutes until it’s done.
And here’s my own:
Aunt Clara
Dominican Sofrito & Sazón Recipe
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Dominican Sofrito & Sazón Recipe: a favorite base for Dominican dishes. Use immediately or refrigerate for later use. It's all good.
Servings: 1 cup (aprox.)
Ingredients
- 1 cubanela/cubanelle pepper , diced
- 1 clove of garlic , crushed
- 1 medium red onion , cut into strips
- 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon of powdered annato/anato/bija
- 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions
To use immediately
-
Saute all the ingredients at very low heat until they release their flavor.
To store
-
Blend until you obtain a coarse paste. Keep refrigerated for up to a week. Or freeze in a zippy bag for up to a month.
Notes & Nutrition Facts
If it is going to be used for stews then substitute the oregano and coriander for a bouquet garni consisting of thyme, cilantro and oregano, 
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21 Comments on "Dominican Sofrito & Sazón – 4 Versions"
I use cilantro, parsley, oregano, garlic, peppers and a splash of vinegar to get the processor going… never use onions… my great grandma (best cook ever) used to tell me that onions will make food bitter if not used fresh… so I just chop onions when I am cooking, never in my sofrito!
I make my grandmother’s so fritz, which it includes onions… I make enough for 4 months… the taste is never bitter… actually perfection!!!
Yo uso, una cebolla roja grande, un ají verde, me encanta ponerle bastante ajo (algunos 10 dientes de ajo mas o menos), verdura, cilantro, aceite verde, mojito ó naranja agria, un tallo de apio, ajicitos dulces (como le llamamos en RD, me gusta al igual que el ajo ponerle mucho), un poco de adobo y/o sazonador total. Pongo todo en la licuadora, sirvo en algun container, guardo y listoooo! Me fascinaaa hacerlo! Es DEMASIADO PRACTICO!
I have never heard of any sofrito using radishes as a main ingredient!!! I use the regular Rican recipe which includes onions, cubanelle peppers, garlic, ajicitos, oregano, cilantro & recao… but I also add green & red bell peppers, a jar of pimentos with their liquid, a jar of pitted alcaparrado with their vinegar, tomatoes, and oregano brujo… absolutely divine!!!
Cada cocinero tiene su librito. Compartir la receta de nuestros lectores demuestra que no hay dos versiones iguales de nuestras comidas en ninguna casa. 🙂
Thankyou i was like really what part of D.R YOU from?
I put cilantro,culantro,aji,cubanelo,garlic greenpeppers,onions,vinegar,Adobo,
chicken bullion,tomato sauce,olive oil and some water…I then pour it into ice cube trays,when all frozen I put the sofrito frozen cubes in zip lock bags,I add fresh “sofrito frozen cubes” to beans,meats,rice etc I never have spoiled sofrito an it lasts a long time
Maria,
This sounds pretty close to my grandmother’s recipe. what kind of Adobo do you use and do you puree this in the blender before or after cooking before freezing?
Thank you
I love this post!.. I just posted my own sofrito recipe on my blog and so I’m looking around to see what ingredients others use.
It’s interesting to see such different recipes from the same culture. On my page i speak about the difference between Haitian epis and spanish sofrito. We all have the same idea.. Just different ways to go about it. Great post!