Ecuador's Día de los Difuntos or Day of the Dead, Guaguas de Pan and Colada Morada

A vendor selling guaguas de pan or 'bread babies', traditional food for el dia de los difuntos (Day of the Dead)

"guagua" (pronounced wa-wa) is indigenous Quechuan word, not to be confused with Cuban guagua which is onomatopoetic word derived from the sound of old Havana busses


Día de los Difuntos (also known as Finados), or Day of the Dead, is without a doubt one of the most important and highly respected days in the Ecuadorian highlands, taking place on November 2nd.

This is the day when families celebrate the spirits of their ancestors through elaborate gestures such as the sharing of food, drink, and good conversation with the deceased.

Celebrated throughout Latin America as a result of the combination between indigenous beliefs and Catholic religion, the Day of the Dead takes place on November 2 around the continent.

In Ecuador the holiday is interpreted as a day to “catch up” with the ones who are no longer with us but have a life in a different world. People pack lunches of traditional food, flowers and offerings and head for the cemeteries where they spend the day as a family talking, eating and performing routine maintenance on the grave site.

The staple food of the season is the famous colada morada, a thick purple drink, and guaguas de pan, sweet bread in shape of dolls.

Traditional guagua de pan and colada morada

Weeks before the holiday supermarkets and bakeries begin selling the ingredients and store-made versions of the drink and breads. Colada morada is made out of black corn flour, blueberries, blackberries, cinnamon, and pineapple, among other ingredients that are cooked together and served hot or cold with the sweet bread.

To some people the purple/red drink symbolizes blood, which in turn symbolizes life of the ones how have moved on from this existence.

There are as many versions of colada morada and guaguas de pan recipes as there are households, because whether a family visits their long-time gone relatives at cemeteries or not, the great majority of Ecuadorians will taste their version of the traditional food.

The tradition of spending the day at cemeteries has declined in urban areas of Ecuador, however once you leave the city behind it is easy to find entire communities mingling at the local cemetery for the occasion.

My neighbor is from Ecuador and he is always eager to share his culinary culture with us and we have had many delicious dishes that he has made through the year from Ecuador.

This holiday was no different, as he and his family were over to share in our annual Halloween Kids Dinner (he has two sons, 3 and 5 yeas of age) and he wanted to share his own custom of drinking colada morada and eating guaguas de pan.

Both were truly delicious – the colada morada was SOOO delicious and I thought the guaguas de pan were very good too – but he was disappointed as it had turned out more like a baking soda biscuit than bread as was the traditional guaguas de pan. It was the first time he had made the guaguas de pan and I have to say – it really was delicious.

Of course, my culinary curiosity was piqued and so I did some research and I managed to find a couple of recipes for guaguas de pan online – in Spanish.

It was pretty simple to translate and once I got through the metric to imperial conversion; I was set to try my hand at the guaguas de pan.

My neighbor had made us the colada morada and guaguas de pan on the Sunday after Halloween and the actual Día de los Difuntos was on Monday.

I ran home after work on Monday night and went to work on making the guaguas de pan.

Guaguas de pan are 'bread babies'. (The word guagua, pronounced wa-wa, is Quechuan.) Some families make their own guaguas de pan at home, but most buy them from the panaderías, or bakeries, which only make them during this time of the year. These bread babies can be up to 12 inches long and are shaped with a ball of dough for the head and a long, tapering ball of dough for the body. They are decorated with icing and may have jam or some other sweet inside.

My first guaguas de pan

The recipe is really a basic one and I think easy enough for anyone to try.


GUAGUAS DE PAN RECIPE (pronounced 'wawas')

Yield: 6 guaguas de pan about 6-7 inches long.


INGREDIENTS:

2.2 lbsall-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons of salt
¼ cup of sugar
1 1/3 cup of butter, soft, room temperature
4 eggs
3 packs of rapid rise yeast


1 round tin of Goya Guava Paste - 21 oz.. Pasta de Guayaba

(You can also use your favorite jelly)

FOR ICING:

Colored royal icing (or I used Betty Crocker colored Cookie Decorating Icing)

INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a bowl.

2. Make a well with the flour, put in the softened butter and mix well, it should look like cornmeal.

3. In a bowl put the eggs, milk, yeast, and mix well and gradually add the dry ingredients and mix well until it gathers into a soft ball of dough.

4. Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until the dough is spongy and elastic.

5. Separate the dough into six equal parts, form into balls and let rise covered with plastic for 30 minutes or until doubled in volume (1 hour is using regular and not rapid rise yeast).

6. Roll each ball out into an egg-shaped oval to about ¼ inch to ½ inch thick.

7. Lay cut strips of guava paste in the center and seal dough around the paste.

8. Lay seam side down and shape into guagua or baby shape.

9. Let rise covered with plastic for about 30 minutes

10. Brush with glaze of one beaten egg and add raisins for eyes and nose.

12. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until brown and shiny.

13. Let cool for an hour and then frost with icing in bright colors.



COLADA MORADA


The colada morada (translated as the purple colada) is a drink made from cooking blackberries, blueberries, cinnamon, cloves, and other fruits and spices with a little oatmeal in the water until thick. The drink is then blended until smooth. From the middle of October until the second of November, cafés and restaurants try to outdo each other in offering the best guaguas de pan and coladas moradas.

colada morada ingredients ready to cook

COLADA MORADA RECIPE


Recipes for colada morada can vary from region to region and family to family. While all versions contain the purple corn flour called 'harina de maiz negro' (cornstarch can substitute in a pinch) blueberry, blackberry, and pineapple, some will use naranjilla juice (an Andean fruit), babaco (champagne fruit), strawberries, and even raisins.


Tea Ingredients:

½ bundle of spices for colada morada (5-6 orange leaves, 1 fistful each of lemon verbena and myrtle)
6-8 whole cloves
6-8 whole allspice
4-5 cinnamon sticks
1-2 ishpingo (Ecuadorian cinnamon)**

1. Fill a large Dutch oven halfway with water (approximately 2 liters).
2. Place the spices in the water. Boil for about 15 minutes. Set this tea aside to be used later.

Juice base ingredients:

1 ½ pounds blueberries, rinsed of any impurities
2 pounds blackberries (boysenberries can also be used, or any combination of the two)
1 large pineapple, peeled and cored*
2 cups (or more) sugar
2-3 heaping tablespoons purple corn flour (or cornstarch)

1. Put the blueberries in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a roiling boil for 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. As the blueberry juice cools, blend the blackberries with a couple of cups of water. Strain the juice and set aside.

3. Cut the pineapple into small cubes.

4. Once the blueberry mixture is cool, blend it and strain it. Mix the blueberry and blackberry juices with the tea of spices above. (Divide into two Dutch ovens for easier handling.)

5. Add the pineapple and boil for about 20 minutes, or until the pineapple is soft but not mushy.

6. After the pineapple is cooked, add about 1 cup of sugar to each pot. Let dissolve and taste, adding more sugar if needed. (The amount of sugar needed will depend on how ripe the fruits are. Adjust the sugar levels to taste.)

7. Put 2-3 heaping tablespoons of purple corn flour in a glass of cold water. Stir and dissolve the purple corn flour and then add half of the mixture to each Dutch oven. Stir for about 5-10 minutes more, allowing the colada to thicken. Adjust the amount of purple corn flour as needed (more for a thicker colada).

Serve the colada warm or cold. 

colada morada - hot and delicious!

 Ecuadorians will eat colada with guaguas de pan, soft bread loaves shaped in the form of babies (guagua meaning baby in Quechua), filled with chocolate or marmalade, and decorated with frosting on top. In place of guaguas, any soft dipping bread will do.


* Other fruits can be added to colada morada, such as strawberries or babaco. If adding babaco, add at the same time as the pineapple. If using strawberries, add the fruit in the last step, cooking for about 5 minutes.

**Ishpingo is the Quechua word for the native Ecuadorian "Cinnamon" tree Ocotea quixos (Lauraceae), found only in a small region of Amazonian Ecuador and Colombia. It is in the same family (Lauraceae) as the common Cinnamon and has a similar aroma. It has been used locally as a spice and flavoring agent since pre-European times.

Quimbolitos Equatorianos

After the great dinner we had last night, I was looking around to see what other great dishes Ecuador might have for me to try making. There are a few in English but most are in Spanish, naturally so I got my trusty Spanish dictionary and dug into some of the great recipes from Ecuador. I found a blog called, "Sabor de Familia" which means "Taste of Family" and they had a number of great recipes. I saw a recipe that I am going to attempt tomorrow called, "Quimbolitos Equatorianos" which is a tamale like steamed cake. Probably not a great description but it is a batter that is spooned into an Achira leaf (also known as Dasheen or Yautia) or in Japan as Taro.

Luckily with both Supremo Food Market, a Latin grocery and H-Mart(also know as Han Ah Rheum) a Korean grocery; we can get fresh frozen Achira/Dasheen/Yautia/Taro leaves easily enough.

I will let you know how they turn out - based on Edison's reaction - tomorrow night or so.

In translating a few Equadorian recipes, variations called for toasted corn flour, anise, cream cheese as well as Chihuahua and even Parmesan cheese.  A few also had a yeast option and after researching a few recipes, I chose the more common flour or corn flour and cornstarch based versions that used baking powder as a leavener.  So here is a recipe that I put together:

Quimbolitos Equatorianos

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

6 large egg whites

pinch of salt

pinch of cream of tartar

2 tablespoons sugar

6 ounces Chihuahua, mozzarella, muenster cheese or parmesan cheese grated.

1/2 cup masa harina (or cornmeal)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

Grated lemon zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon anise seeds crushed (optional)

2 tablespoons brandy or rum from soaking the raisins

Pinch of salt

One 1 pound bag of banana leaves cut into10 x 12 pieces

Preparation:

Let the butter soften at room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy cream, add  the yolks and beat until light and well mixed then add rum.

In another container place the flour, masa harina, cornstarch and  baking powder , gradually add to butter mixture.

Beat egg whites with pinch of salt until foamy, then add cream of tartar and beat to soft peaks.

Then add one tablespoon of sugar at a time and beat to glossy, stiff peaks.

Take 1/3 of egg whites and incorporate into butter mixture until lightened and then fold in remaining 2/3 egg whites until batter is well mixed and fluffy.  Take care to not over mix.

 

(How to fold the quimbolitos)

ASSEMBLE

Place a banana leaf down with the grain running left to right

Spread 3 heaping tablespoons of mixture in center of leaf about 3.4 to 1 inch thick

Place 3 or 4 raisins on top of batter

Bring sides of leaf together over filling

Fold other ends under and place on a cookie tray until ready to steam.

Place quimbolitos in steamer, top loosely with leaf pieces and cook 30 - 40 minutes.


Stay Tuned!!!

Ecuadorian Dinner

We had dinner with our neighbors Edison & Alyse - and Edison (as I have mentioned already) is from Quito, Ecuador. He has made a number of dishes for us in the past and all have been really good.  Last night he made two more dishes that we haven't had:

Locro de Papas

Locro de papas is a classic Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup. Soups are very popular in Ecuador; they are one of the cheapest and best tasting dishes you can find. A typical Ecuadorian meal will consist of primero or the first course, seco or segundo or second course- usually meat, poultry or seafood with rice and dessert. Soups are usually served as a primero and most soups -as well as a lot of other dishes- are always served with avocado and aji or hot sauce.

Locro de papa is more common in the Andes highlands or Sierra region of Ecuador, and like many Ecuadorian dishes the ingredients and preparation will vary from one city to another, some variations of the locro de papa add fresh corn to the soup, others add chopped cabbage. I read also that some made locro de papas without cheese and used freshly ground peanuts instead, when people couldn’t afford to buy cheese they would use ground peanuts.

This locro de papa is a great soup for cold rainy or snowy weather; it can be served as a first course, but is satisfying and filling enough to make a complete meal. 

 Edison's Locro de Papa was a beautiful saffron-gold color (from the achiote) and he served his soup without the avocado because it wasn't ripe enough. He also didn't top it with feta cheese - which was fine with me. However, he did have the other traditional accompaniments like "chulpi" which are these really crunchy tiny corn nibs that you sprinkled on the soup and for Ed and I as well as himself, he added  pieces of the bagged pork rind snacks which turned from airy crispy into a soft soup soaked morsel. Yum!

 

(These are the toasted, crunchy 'chulpi' - yum!)

LOCRO de PAPA RECIPE (Locro de Papas Ecuatoriano)

Ingredients:

10 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into small and large pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp achiote powder

7 cups of water

1 cup of milk or more

1 cup grated or crumbled cheese (mozzarella or monterey jack)

1 bunch of cilantro, leaves only, minced

Salt to taste

1 cup of feta cheese (optional)

Chopped scallions

Avocados, sliced or diced

Aji or hot sauce (see bottom of post)

Preparation:

   1. Prepare a refrito or base for the soup by heating the canola oil over medium heat in a large soup pot; add the diced onions, minced garlic cloves, cumin, and achiote powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.

   2. Add the potatoes to the pot and mix until they are coated with the refrito. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring a every couple of minutes.

   3. Add the water and bring to boil, cook until the potatoes are very tender. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the pot, don’t mash all of them, the consistency of the soup should be creamy with small tender chunks of potatoes.

   4. Turn the heat down to low, stir in the milk and let cook for about 5 more minutes. You can add more milk if the soup is too thick.

   5. Add salt to taste

   6. Add the grated cheese and cilantro, mix well, and remove from the heat.

   7. Serve warm with the avocados, scallions, feta cheese and aji or hot sauce.



Seco de Pollo (Seco de Pollo Ecuatoriano or Ecuadorian chicken stew)

Alyse told us that the name "Seco de Pollo" is a bit odd because it translates to "Dried of Chicken" and 'seco' does mean "dry, dried, and parched" among other things in Spanish but Edison explained that 'seco' in this case was an exception and meant "segundo" or second because the dish was a main (or second) course and 'seco' had colloquially been used as long as he could remember to mean "second" dish.  There is also another famous dish called "Seco de Chivo" (goat stew served with a side of rice).

This chicken stew is another delicious recipe from Ecuador, and is also known as "seco de gallina criolla", if it is made with a young chicken it is called "seco de pollo" and if it is made with an older hen it is called "seco de gallina criolla". Traditionally it was a way to cook those older tougher hens and soften the meat but cooking it slowly in a sauce of onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and spices, the traditional preparation also uses "chicha" - a fermented corn drink – instead of beer, most people today prepare it with beer because it is much easier to find and tastes great. "Seco de pollo" is an easy recipe to make but it is time consuming mainly because the chicken has to cook for a long time, "Seco de pollo" is always served with arroz amarillo or yellow rice -just add some achiote to the rice preparation -and fried ripe plantains. Those are the two must have sides; Edison (and many others) also like to also serve it with avocado slices.

SECO de POLLO RECIPE 

Ingredients:

6 lbs of assorted chicken pieces

6 tbs canola oil

2 red onions, quartered

½ red onion, minced for refrito

10 whole garlic gloves plus 4 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp ground achiote or annatto

4 cups of beer

8 tomatoes, quartered

3 bell peppers, quartered

1 hot pepper (jalapeno or serrano)

1 bunch cilantro, reserve some to add at the end

1 bunch parsley, reserve some to add at the end

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Sides:

Arroz amarillo or yellow rice

Fried ripe plantains

Avocado slices

Preparation:

   1. Blend the beer, quartered onions, whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano and cumin to obtain a smooth puree.

   2. In a large saucepan or soup pot heat the oil over medium heat to prepare a refrito or sofrito, add the minced red onion, minced garlic and achiote, cook for 2 minutes.

   3. Add the chicken and brown lightly on each side, add the blended puree mix, and cook on low heat until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 2 ½ hours.

   4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

   5. Add the remaining cilantro and parsley.

   6. Serve with arroz amarillo or yellow rice and fried ripe plantains. Can also be served with avocado slices.

AJI - (Aji Criollo or Aji Ecuatoriano)

I know some people who assume that food from Latin American countries is the same in each country and while there are a lot of similarities, the cuisine and ingredients are not only very different in each country but also regionally in each country. The reason I mention this is because the food that Edison has made for us (and my foray into some peruvian cooking recently) has been SO not anything like what I have had from Mexico, Spain, Cuba or Puerto Rico.  They all have great, distinct cuisines that are just delicious!

 

 Aji is made from a very specific pepper, the ají pepper, also known as Peruvian hot pepper, or Capsicum baccatum, containing several different varieties of pepper.  The most common are simply differentiated by color, like "yellow Peruvian hot pepper" or "ají amarillo". These peppers have a distinctive, fruity flavor, and are commonly ground into colorful powders for use in cooking, each identified by its color. 

 Aji Criollo is a fresh hot sauce or salsa that is very popular and a lot of typical dishes are served with it, it is pretty easy to make and should be consumed ideally the same day but can last up to 3 days. You should look for the "aji amarillo" but you can use serrano peppers to make this aji, they are usually spicy enough to make it pretty hot, you can also use jalapeños but I find that they are inconsistent and one might be spicy and another is not spicy at all so use at your own risk or be sure to taste to your level of heat before you use them in making Aji.

 
 AJI RECIPE 

 

Ingredients:

4 aji amarillo or hot peppers

½ bunch of cilantro (stems and leaves)

½ cup of water

3 garlic cloves

Juice from ½ lime or lemon

3 tbs finely chopped white onion (scallions or the whites of leeks can also be used)

Salt

 
 

Preparation:

Combine the hot peppers, cilantro, water, garlic cloves and lime juice in the blender and blend well.

Add the chopped white onions and salt to taste.

 
 It was a wonderful meal with some wonderful friends and the sangria went well with this amazing dinner!!