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green plantain dumpling soup

threeovens avatar
Recipe by
Lucy Selvaggio-Diaz
@threeovens
Brentwood, NY

En Espanol, this soup is called Caldo de Bolas de Verde. It is a specialty of Ecuador. It consists of balls made from green plantains, stuffed with stew meat, and cooked in a savory broth.

yield 8 -10
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For green plantain dumpling soup

  • FOR THE BEEF BROTH
  • 1 Tbsp
    oil
  • 1
    onion, diced
  • 6
    garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3
    tomatoes, diced
  • 1
    green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 1 tsp
    achiote powder
  • 2 Tbsp
    minced cilantro
  • 1/2 Tbsp
    dried oregano
  • 2 tsp
    chili powder
  • 10 c
    chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 lb
    beef bones
  • 1 lb
    stew beef, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 4
    green plantain, peeled and cut in half
  • 2
    carrots, peeled
  • 1
    yuca, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 3
    ears of corn, cut in half
  • 4
    cabbage leaves, cut in large pieces
  • FOR THE BEEF FILLING
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter
  • 1/2
    red onion, finely diced
  • 1
    tomato, peeled and diced
  • 2
    garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2
    bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 1 tsp
    achiote powder
  • 2 Tbsp
    peanut butter
  • 4 c
    broth
  • 1/2 c
    cooked peas
  • 2 Tbsp
    minced cilantro
  • 1/2 c
    raisins
  • 2
    hard boiled eggs, diced
  • salt
  • pepper
  • FOR THE PLANTAIN DUMPLINGS
  • 2
    green plantains, peeled and grated
  • 2
    eggs
  • TO SERVE
  • finely chopped cilantro or parsley
  • lime wedges
  • pickled red onions
  • aji

How To Make green plantain dumpling soup

  • 1
    For the Beef Broth: Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the diced onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper, cumin, achiote, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the 10 cups of broth, the beef bones, the meat chunks, and plantains pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the yuca pieces and continue simmering for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the carrots, corn and cabbage, cook for another 15 minutes or until all the ingredients are fully cooked. Remove from the heat and let cool until safe to handle, then remove the bones from the broth and discard them. Remove the meat, carrots, corn and yucas from the broth, leave the plantains in the broth until ready to use them – keeping them in the broth will prevent them from drying out and make it easier to mash them. Remove the meat and chop it into very small pieces. Cut the cooked carrots into small pieces. Remove the strings from the yuca and cut them into small bite size pieces. Chop the cooked cabbage and cut the corn in smaller slices; reserve the corn, yuca and cabbage for later.
  • 2
    For the beef filling: To make the meat filling for the green banana balls heat the butter or oil over medium heat, add the onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, cumin, achiote and salt. Add the chopped meat, carrots, peas and cilantro. Mix in the peanut butter and 4 tablespoons of the broth, as well as the raisins and hard boiled eggs. Mix all the ingredients well and save the filling until needed.
  • 3
    For the plantain dumplings: Meanwhile remove the plantains from the broth and mix them in the food processor until a sticky dough is obtained. Mix the cooked plantain dough with the grated raw plantains, the eggs and some salt and pepper, you can either mix these by hand or in the food processor. Using your hands, try to keep them wet or lightly greased, form the plantain dough into medium to large sized balls. Stuff each one with a generous spoonful or two of the meat filling.
  • 4
    For the final soup preparation: Strain the broth and return to the heat until it boils, reduce to a simmer and add the dumplings, cook over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Be very careful not to stir the soup to avoid breaking the dumplings. Using a ladle remove the dumplings from the soup and place them on a plate. Add the chopped yuca, chopped cabbage, corn slices and any leftover filling back to the broth, cook until all the ingredients are re-warmed. Add the finely chopped cilantro to the broth. Place a green plantain dumpling or two in each bowl; add a ladleful of broth with yuca, cabbage and corn. Serve with lime slices, aji and pickled onions.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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