Yawarlukru facts for kids

Yawarlukru (pronounced Yah-wahr-LOO-kroo) is a special and traditional soup from Ecuador. Its name comes from the Kichwa language. In Kichwa, yawar means blood, and lukru means soup. So, Yawarlukru literally means "blood soup." This unique dish is a light stew often made with different parts of lamb meat, like the tongue or other tasty bits. It's usually served with crispy fried lamb blood, creamy avocado, and tangy pickled red onion rings. People in the Andes mountains of Ecuador love to eat Yawarlukru, and it's considered a very important part of Ecuadorian cuisine. You can enjoy it as a small snack or a main meal, depending on how much you have!

How to Make Yawarlukru

Making Yawarlukru involves a few steps to get all the flavors just right. It's a bit like making a hearty stew, but with some unique ingredients.

Preparing the Lamb Meat

First, you need to boil the lamb meat parts. This includes different cuts of lamb. You'll boil them with Onions (either red onions or what people sometimes call Spanish onions), a couple of garlic heads, and some spring onions. You keep boiling until the meat becomes very soft. Once it's soft, you carefully take out the meat and save the liquid, which is called stock, in a separate bowl. This stock will be used later.

Cooking the Stew Base

Next, you chop the cooked lamb meat into small cubes. In a frying pan, you'll fry some garlic and onions with a little bit of oregano in oil or lard. Then, you add a special ingredient called achiote (pronounced ah-chee-OH-tay). Achiote is a paste made from annatto seeds, and it gives food a lovely orange color and a mild, earthy flavor. Once these ingredients are nicely fried, you add the chopped lamb meat and potatoes. You also add some of the saved stock or water. This mixture is then boiled until the potatoes are cooked and soft.

Adding the Finishing Touches

After the potatoes are ready, you add a few more things to the stew. This includes more potatoes, some milk, salt, pepper, and finely chopped coriander. These ingredients help to thicken the soup and add more flavor.

Frying the Lamb Blood

In a separate frying pan, you'll prepare another important part of the dish: the fried lamb blood. You fry onion rings, spring onions, garlic, and oregano in oil. Once these are cooked, you add the lamb blood (which has been prepared so it's solid, or "clogged"). Sometimes, chicken blood can be used too. This fried blood adds a unique taste and texture to the dish.

Serving Your Yawarlukru

Finally, it's time to serve! You mix the fried lamb blood and the stew base together in one pot. It's best served hot. To make the meal even better, you can add some extra fried blood on the side, along with more pickled onion rings, fresh chopped coriander, soft avocado slices, and tomato slices. Enjoy your traditional Ecuadorian Yawarlukru!

See also

In Spanish: Yahuarlocro para niños