Caldillo de frijol con chochoyotes. A creamy bean soup with corn masa dumplings. I am hooked! To be totally honest, any dish prepared with corn masa is on my favorites list. Corn masa is just so versatile and can be transformed into so many different dishes. My top favorites are corn tortillas, picaditas, huaraches, empanadas, quesadillas and chochoyotes, of course!
Video!
Gosh, what did we do before video for food recipes were compacted into a few minutes? I remember back in the day watching the cooking shows on PBS. My dad and I would sit there and watch Julia Child and the chef from Louisiana, The Cajun Chef. Little did I know then how they would influence me in the future. Then, of course came all the cooking shows on cable. Mexican chefs cooked the basic traditional fare.
What is caldillo?
A word used to describe a sauce that is served warm. It’s not very thick and can be prepared with tomato, tomatillo, dried chiles and even beans. Again, versatile because it can be incorporated into the recipe while it cooks or served to accompany another component.
Deciding which salsa roja to use for this recipe, is really up to you!
Check out my salsa roja collection right HERE! The one I used is the first salsa roja recipe on that blog post. A little more spiciness to it from the chile de arbol, but it wasn’t over the top.
Caldillo de Frjol con Chochoyotes
Ingredients
- 2 full cups pinto or Peruano beans, previously cooked it the dry form it was about 1/2 lb.
- 2 c bean broth
- 2 c chicken broth
- 1 c Salsa Roja, see link
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp. bacon fat, butter or avocado oil
Chochoyotes
- 1 1/2 c masa harina
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsps oil
- 1 1/2 c hot water
Garnish
- 1 Avocado, cubed or sliced
- 1 c Queso fresco, crumbled
- 3/4 c Mexican crema
- 1 large Serrano pepper, sliced into thin rings
- 1/4 c Cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Chochoyotes
- In a bowl combine the masa harina and the salt. Drizzle in the oil. Gradually mix in 1 cup of the masa and knead the masa for 1-2 minutes. Gradually mix in some of the remaining water. You may not need it all. Continue kneading until you have a smooth, play dough, texture and consistency. Cover with a damp paper towel or with plastic wrap. Set it aside.
Caldillo de Frijoles
- To the blender add the beans, bean broth, red chile sauce and broth. Blend on high until smooth. Set it aside. Do not add salt at this time.
- In a medium pot, preheat the bacon fat at medium heat for 2-3 minutes. When ready, pour in the caldillo de frijol. Bring up to a simmer, reducing the heat slightly. Taste the soup for salt. Season, to taste. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take the corn masa and roll small balls (smaller than a walnut). Using your thumb, gently press into the center of the masa ball. You can prep as many chochoyotes as you want right now. This way you can add them to the simmering soup. Once you have added them all, do not stir for at least 5-6 minutes. The chochoyotes will begin to float to the top. Gently stir to make sure none are sticking to the bottom. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.
- Ladle into shallow bowls. Garnish with avocado, queso, crema, serrano pepper and cilantro. Enjoy as is or serve with warm corn tortillas, totopos or tostadas.
Notes
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This sounds so good! any recommendations on how to prepare it to be freezer friendly?
I would suggest preparing the base, but unless you are using fresh ground corn masa, the dumplings could dry out when prepared with masa harina. You could add the masa dumplings uncooked to the cool soup base and freeze that way. Then when you are ready, i would slowly cook the soup on low and the dumplings should cook through once it simmers for 10-15 minutes.