Aguají (Rustic Dominican Plantain Soup) has lots of strong flavors in a very light soup. It's supposed to be the cure for the blues, hangovers, or an upset stomach.
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There seems to be a soup to cure every ailment. This Aguají (Rustic Dominican Plantain Soup) s apparently a fairly good cure for a case of the hangovers.
I can’t tell you if that is true, what I know is that on a rainy day when all seems to start on the wrong foot, this soup really helps improve the mood.
About this plantain soup recipe
I have to thank my friend Aida, who introduced me to this dish back in our university days. Even though I had heard the name, I was not acquainted with the dish.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of aguají (rustic plantain broth), it packs a punch in the form of strong flavors. And whether as a cure to a hangover, or a case of the blues, give it a try, it will make your day a bit better.
Aguají Recipe (Rustic Dominican Plantain Soup)
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (corn, peanut or soy)
- 2 1/2 qt [2.5 lt] of water , divided
- 6 cloves of garlic , crushed
- 1 stalk of leek , cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
- 4 culantro/recao/cilantro ancho leaves
- 6 all-spice berries
- A pinch of oregano
- A pinch of pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- Peel the plantains and brush with the oil.
- Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 480 ºF (250 ºC) for 35 mins.
- Unwrap the plantains and crush with a mortar and pestle.
- Boil 2 qt [2 lt] of water adding the garlic, leek, cilantro, culantro, all-spice berries, a pinch of oregano and a pinch of pepper to it.
- Boil over medium heat for 15 minutes, adding water when necessary to maintain the same level of liquid.
- Add the plantains and boil for another 10 minutes. Add water when necessary to maintain the same level of liquid.
- Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.
Question: do you just plop spoonfuls of the mashed plantains into the broth, or do you roll them into balls first? Also, if saving some soup for leftovers, is it ok to leave the plantains in the broth or will they fall apart or otherwise get yucky?
Just plop. We need the plantain to soak in some of that broth. 🙂
Thanks for all the great recipes, I have shared many on FB. This soup is amazing, my mom would make it when any of the kids was sick. I did not know the name, it brings back good memories of my mom. Thanks for a great gift of love through food.
What a great use for plantains that are not fried like most dishes. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.
Looks so good my mami use to make this for me
Love this soup but what is the all spice berries?
Allspice, one word. It’s a type of spice, also known as Jamaican pepper.