Here are the Colombian Dishes We Made to Celebrate Disney’s Encanto
Are you one of the lucky people out there that has seen the Disney movie Encanto and now has the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” playing on repeat in your head all day long? I am a proud member of the club and am clearly not the only one. It seemed it hit our area in one fell swoop--one minute nobody had heard of it, the next thing I know I hear kids singing the songs at the park and my kids and all their friends are singing all the songs, word for word constantly. Lin Manuel strikes again!
Besides the incredible music in the movie, which was written by Lin Manuel Miranda (who wrote Hamilton and some of the songs for Moana and Mary Poppins Returns), what really stands out is the use of vibrant color in the visuals. The movie is about the relationships between a fun and engaging family in Colombia. It has tons of dancing with colorful costumes and clothes in and lots of shots of the lush jungle area they live near. The houses are bright and colorful and cheery and it makes you want to jump in the movie and dance and sing with them.
One of the characters in the movie is known for her cooking and can heal those around her with her food. She healed one character’s hands with an arepa con queso.
After such a gorgeous movie, I wanted to learn more about Colombia and their food, music and culture. Their food looks so fresh and flavorful and I couldn’t wait to try a couple of recipes. I found a blog called www.mycolombianrecipes.com, where the author posts some of her favorite family recipes that her grandmother used to make in Colombia. She gets rave reviews from all her commenters and I couldn’t wait to make some of these beloved recipes. I tried making a total of four things, and two of them I will make again and recommend that you try as well.
Salchichas en Coca-Cola
Coca Cola is a big deal there and they actually use it a lot in their cooking. I tried making a little appetizer/street food with small hot dogs you eat on a toothpick that are cooked with Coca Cola until the Coca-Cola cooks down to a syrupy consistency. It is called salchichas en Coca-Cola. They tasted a little bit similar to a classic American appetizer you might make for the Super Bowl with the Lil’ Smokies hot dogs slow cooked in barbeque sauce. The salchichas were fun to try, but nothing I feel the need to make again.
Arroz con Coca-Cola y Pasas
I also made a rice dish that is quite common there and one commenter mentioned that her aunt brings it to every family gathering. It is called Arroz con Coca-Cola y Pasas. It is rice cooked in Coca-Cola with raisins and green onions in it. It was a sweet rice and pretty good, but my family gave it a pass.
Arepas
Now it’s time for the good stuff! Let’s talk arepas! One description I read to know what arepas are like: “if cornbread and tortillas had a baby, it would be an arepa”. It is a little fried corn bread that you fry on your stove in butter. They are SO good! They are very popular in Colombia with any meal--they go great with any lunch or dinner meal and they also love to eat them with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast.
You make a really easy dough with precooked corn flour (I used the Pan brand. I found it at my local Mexican food store, but many say you can find it easily on the Hispanic foods aisle of your supermarket), water, salt, butter and cheese (if you want them with cheese, or “con queso”). They are much thicker than a corn tortilla, since you roll them to be about ½” thick before frying. You fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden and crispy on the outside! So yummy and easy to make any time for a side dish.
Sudado de Pollo (Colombian-Style Chicken Stew)
My favorite meal of all was this chicken stew that I made and we put it over white rice with the arepas on the side. You cook this stew over the stove top and it simmers in total for about an hour. It is so flavorful and delicious with tender chicken from skinless chicken thighs. It also has golden potatoes, red bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, garlic and is seasoned with cumin, cilantro and a seasoning called “sazon goya”, which I also found on the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store.
This stew was so flavorful and delicious--a perfect, cozy and vibrant meal for winter time. And just in case you are wondering--it is not spicy at all, if you are someone who doesn’t care for too much spice in your food.
I am going to make this chicken stew and the arepas over and over again I can tell. Everyone in my family just gobbled it up. We were fighting over who got to eat the leftovers so I can tell I need to go make another batch this week :) Have you tried any Colombian dishes before? And what is your favorite song from Encanto? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
8 chicken drumsticks or thighs without the skin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon sazon goya with azafran
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 small yellow potatoes peeled and cut in half
3 cups water
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
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Besides the incredible music in the movie, which was written by Lin Manuel Miranda (who wrote Hamilton and some of the songs for Moana and Mary Poppins Returns), what really stands out is the use of vibrant color in the visuals. The movie is about the relationships between a fun and engaging family in Colombia. It has tons of dancing with colorful costumes and clothes in and lots of shots of the lush jungle area they live near. The houses are bright and colorful and cheery and it makes you want to jump in the movie and dance and sing with them.
One of the characters in the movie is known for her cooking and can heal those around her with her food. She healed one character’s hands with an arepa con queso.
After such a gorgeous movie, I wanted to learn more about Colombia and their food, music and culture. Their food looks so fresh and flavorful and I couldn’t wait to try a couple of recipes. I found a blog called www.mycolombianrecipes.com, where the author posts some of her favorite family recipes that her grandmother used to make in Colombia. She gets rave reviews from all her commenters and I couldn’t wait to make some of these beloved recipes. I tried making a total of four things, and two of them I will make again and recommend that you try as well.
Salchichas en Coca-Cola
Coca Cola is a big deal there and they actually use it a lot in their cooking. I tried making a little appetizer/street food with small hot dogs you eat on a toothpick that are cooked with Coca Cola until the Coca-Cola cooks down to a syrupy consistency. It is called salchichas en Coca-Cola. They tasted a little bit similar to a classic American appetizer you might make for the Super Bowl with the Lil’ Smokies hot dogs slow cooked in barbeque sauce. The salchichas were fun to try, but nothing I feel the need to make again.
Arroz con Coca-Cola y Pasas
I also made a rice dish that is quite common there and one commenter mentioned that her aunt brings it to every family gathering. It is called Arroz con Coca-Cola y Pasas. It is rice cooked in Coca-Cola with raisins and green onions in it. It was a sweet rice and pretty good, but my family gave it a pass.
Arepas
Now it’s time for the good stuff! Let’s talk arepas! One description I read to know what arepas are like: “if cornbread and tortillas had a baby, it would be an arepa”. It is a little fried corn bread that you fry on your stove in butter. They are SO good! They are very popular in Colombia with any meal--they go great with any lunch or dinner meal and they also love to eat them with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast.
You make a really easy dough with precooked corn flour (I used the Pan brand. I found it at my local Mexican food store, but many say you can find it easily on the Hispanic foods aisle of your supermarket), water, salt, butter and cheese (if you want them with cheese, or “con queso”). They are much thicker than a corn tortilla, since you roll them to be about ½” thick before frying. You fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden and crispy on the outside! So yummy and easy to make any time for a side dish.
Sudado de Pollo (Colombian-Style Chicken Stew)
My favorite meal of all was this chicken stew that I made and we put it over white rice with the arepas on the side. You cook this stew over the stove top and it simmers in total for about an hour. It is so flavorful and delicious with tender chicken from skinless chicken thighs. It also has golden potatoes, red bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, garlic and is seasoned with cumin, cilantro and a seasoning called “sazon goya”, which I also found on the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store.
This stew was so flavorful and delicious--a perfect, cozy and vibrant meal for winter time. And just in case you are wondering--it is not spicy at all, if you are someone who doesn’t care for too much spice in your food.
I am going to make this chicken stew and the arepas over and over again I can tell. Everyone in my family just gobbled it up. We were fighting over who got to eat the leftovers so I can tell I need to go make another batch this week :) Have you tried any Colombian dishes before? And what is your favorite song from Encanto? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sudado de Pollo (Colombian-Style Chicken Stew)
My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook. Author: Erica Dinho Recipe Type: Colombian Total Time: 1 15 hrmins
Prep time:
Cook time:
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 396
Ingredients:
Cook time:
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 396
8 chicken drumsticks or thighs without the skin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon sazon goya with azafran
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 small yellow potatoes peeled and cut in half
3 cups water
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, salt and ground pepper and sauté for 5 more minutes.
Add the chicken, water, chicken bouillon, sazon Goya and cumin powder. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes and cilantro and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Serve over white rice.
Source: mycolombianrecipes.com
Add the chicken, water, chicken bouillon, sazon Goya and cumin powder. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes and cilantro and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Serve over white rice.
Source: mycolombianrecipes.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.mycolombianrecipes.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
