This post is also available in Spanish
Changua is a typical breakfast in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Until recently, I had never made Changua and I didn’t have a recipe. My mom loves this egg soup, so I gave her a call hoping that she had a recipe. Well, she did so now that’s two of mom’s recipes in a row.
In Bogotá, Changua is served for breakfast with bread on the side or in the soup, but this Colombian breakfast soup can be eaten at any time of the day. It is also known to help with a hangover, so you can try it after your next party and let me know if it helped. 🙂
Ingredients
(4 servings)
4 cups milk
2 cups water
4 eggs
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
3 scallions chopped
Salt and pepper
Bread with butter to serve
Directions
- Place the milk and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the eggs without breaking them.
- Let the eggs cook for 3 minutes and add the cilantro.
- Serve warm with bread on the side and garnish with fresh cilantro.
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[…] might have to give chagua a try when I am in Colombia this fall. This breakfast treat consists of a freshly poached egg in a […]
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[…] Chile and Ecuador, Mexico and Argentina. Here are homes where I have learnt to cook arepas and eat changua, while listening tongue-tied to Spanish chatter. The clear tones of Argentina are easy to follow, […]
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Jhonny Walker says
It is so good to see this first thing in the morning 🙂 gives you one for breakfast 🙂
KennyT says
Erica, this is a very special breakfast idea for me, I’d love to try.
Nat says
The only egg soup I have tried before is the Chinese crab and egg….this is amazing Erica…and what a burst of flavor the cilantro would give the whole combination…
Carol says
I thought people use almojabanas in pieces and put it in the soup, or pieces of bread.
Anonymous says
People do add almojabanas to this soup,when they have it, but any bread works. Also you can add cheese to it as well
Martin Maurer says
..and myfather-in -law added boiled potatoes imsteas of bread. Lovely!
Erica says
Thank you guys!
Angela O. says
My family has always called changua, caldo. Made almost the same, with a little pat of butter added anf the eggs are poached. We have never put cilantro, just green onions and tomato. It’s so good. Always reminds me of my grandpa. Add some chocolate with cheese and it’s the perfect breakfast.
Eliss says
I’ve been wanting to have this lately…haven’t since a teen. We also called it caldo, but my dad would use a bit of meat (stew beef leftover from night before)….just a little chunk, cilantro and of course the poached egg. He’d eat it with the in the soup, but I didn’t like soggy bread, so I ate it on the side. Glad I found the recipe. So simple!
Palidor says
How delicious! That’s a great way enjoy eggs.
doggybloggy says
what a unique and delicious soup!
Kim says
I’ve never seen a soup like this before, but it sounds yummy.
Oysterculture says
This soup sounds like the perfect way to start the day complete with some crusty, yummy bread to mop up all the last drops.
Simply Life says
Oh wow, I’ve never had anything like this – looks great!
Erica says
Thank you everyone for the comments and for visiting 🙂
Anonymous says
I lived in Bogota, and I highly recommend this soup in the morning.
Robert Guerrero says
OMG!! That is too funny.. I totally remember seeing this soup served up at breakfast after a long night of partying with multiple hungover guests.
Chef E says
Hello! This has my name written all over it! You have a great site, and I am exploring some more…
La Hawaiana says
I remember eating this when I lived in Colombia. The family I lived with served it with these big crackers that you broke up into the soup and they would soften. Good memories…:)
Anonymous says
Calados!
Erica says
Thank you all!
Tricia says
I have been searching for this recipe ever since I had it a friends house, his mother made it after New Year’s and I have never been able to get him to get the receipe from her for me!!!! Thank you!
Leslie Correa says
I absolutely love this breakfast, it is my favorite, especially with white cheese, preferably Tropical(Spanish white frying cheese). My mom always makes it when she visits:)
Chris says
OMG!!! I can’t believe you actually have a proper recipe for Changua!! LOL I’ve been eating this since I was 5!! My aunt used to make it, then my mom adapted the recipe but never felt right. Shame my wife doesn’t enjoy it as much as I do, but yes OMG is this good hangover food!! Not that I drink, but I’ve heard that from my brother, who does drink alot, and my dad, who used to drink, not heavily but enough to get a hangover.
The only difference with my aunt’s recipe is she actually takes good brown bread and puts it in the soup, so you have the soggy breadiness and eggs with the onions and everything else, just a different way to try it, as that’s the way I’m used to eating it, is with the bread already in.
Really easy and REALLY good!! This is the ONLY way I eat poached eggs.
Nancy T. says
I remember my family in Bogota making this when I was young and my mom still makes it here in the states on occasions. Yup, I had mine with the soggy bread too! Never knew it was for hang overs! LOL! Now, I know what to make for my husband!
Adriana says
My parent’s are from Bogota and my mother used to make this every sunday morning. It was so good. The only difference is that she would add chopped up potatoes and pieces of regular bread. I have no idea if this was her little twist on the recipe or if that’s how she was raised making it. Either way, its the best thing to eat in the morning.
Anonymous says
My friend also from Bogata puts very small diced potatoes in his. Sauté the potatoes and onions a bit in butter then add water. Cook til potatoes are done. Add milk. Bring to a low boil. Drop in the eggs and cilantro. Sooo good! I add a touch of garlic to mine.
Maria says
Both my parents were from Colombia so I grew up eatting this for breakfast. And now my youngest daughter loves it too. We actually also add the bread to it…sooo good!
oscar says
This was so good and simple!. Good job posting this. you can also add cheees to it, spanish cheese of course.
Thanks again for posting!
Oscar
Matt says
This looks gnarly…
Paco says
Great recipe!
My grandmother’s version (she was from Alban, Cundinamarca, Colombia) included one garlic clove, crushed.
Daniela says
Oh I love Changua!! It’s one of those things my body caves during the northeast winter or when I’m sick! And @Adriana, my mom (also from Bogota) puts chopped up potato in it as well!
Libby says
I just had my changua for breakfast. One thing Erica, my grandparents always made it with the calao (hard bread) cut in pieces inside the soup, also my greatgrandparents always added chunks of fresh farm cheese. I don’t have that cheese so I use mozarella or provolone or whatever cheese is available, except cheedar it makes it bitter. Sadly to say no one else in the family likes changua so I make it for myself. Nothing like fresh cilantro.
Lea says
This is one of my favorite meals!! My mom adds sliced potatoes to it. Yum!
Scarlet says
Its so easy, yet I never learn to do it. Thanks for the recipe! I love changua for breakfast. My mom always makes it for me when she comes to visit 🙂
Now I can make it when I feel homesick.. or at any time
Javier says
Any ideas how to replace calados?
YURI says
THIS USED TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITES WHEN I WAS IN COLOMBIA. I AM GLAD THAT YOU POSTED THIS IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT…I HOPE MY KIDS AND THE HUSBAND LIKE AS MUCH AS I DID……THANKS
Caroll says
I am sad to say that there is not a way to replace calados, they are. So missed specially with this recipe.
Mr.Bug says
This soup is like viagra, it wakes up the dead
Adriana says
I am so happy that I’ve found your site! There are so many recipes including the changua recipe that I’ve craved to make over the years. My mother passed away when I was young and I was not able to get the recipes of the meals she made when we were growing up. I am so thankful that I have them now thru your site and can make them for my children one day.
Erica says
Thank you,Adriana! Enjoy the blog!
Ann says
Yes, I ate plenty of changua when I lived in Bogotá. I remember the bread placed in the soup bowl, then pouring the soup on top of it right before serving so it didn’t get too soggy. I’d forgotten about it. Thanks for the post!
george ordonez says
we used to eat in Sangil all the time it is called sopas. we eat them with arepa instead of bread. that is the rea way to eat this stuff. sopas is the thing to eat in colombia for breakfast.
Heather says
My father is from Bogota and I grew up eating this. Just made it this morning in fact. I put the bread in the soup though and add even amounts of milk and water with no pepper. Delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Corina says
I don’t really know much about Colombian food but this looks delicious and I’m glad I found your blog. I’m looking forward to having a browse through.
robert g. says
OMG! Changua…I always think of it as hangover food. My aunt would make it the day after a big party for all the people who crashed at her house. Good memories! Thanks.
Alan Bowman says
Hi Erica from Spain
I take it that by “add the eggs without breaking them”, you are referring to the yolks – one has to break the shells to get at the egg inside.
I must try this one day as a “bland diet (convalescent) dish”
Abrazos
Alan
Erica Dinho says
Hi Alan, Yes..without breaking the yolks!
Anonymous says
Good point !
lorena says
Today is my first time making changua I hope my american mom like it i’m adopted that’s why i say my american mom if any of you like to adopt go to kidsaveorg.com
Jeffrey Whelchel says
Know this comment is gonna sound silly to anyone that is a seasoned cook, but I’ll forge ahead in any case. When I read your instructions I was a little confused by the line: “add the eggs without breaking them”. I had a mental picture of eggs going in the pot with shells on. Even to the point of wondering why there wasn’t a step to break the eggs after the 3 minutes. food.com’s version of this recipe says to carefully add the eggs without breaking the yolk. Aha. now I have the correct mental picture. With the understanding that I’m still a possible candidate for the show, ‘worst cooks in America’, I thought you might like to clarify that step.
David says
Alan, if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you sound like a smart ass. Condiscending!
Isabella says
Love it. My mom used to make this for us all the time. She doesn’t make it with bread, but with potatoes cooked in the milk broth. Maybe I will have to start making it for myself.
george ordonez says
we sometimes put potatoes in this stuff and eat wit arepa and call it sopas later my dad is from Sangil, Santander sur, Colombia too. ok
GEORGE ORDONEZ says
and in Colombia they even put potatoes in it let me tell you ok bye and take care.
Eduardo Patarroyo says
In the most traditional changua eggs are optional and ther’es no pepper. It is supposed for putting; arepas, envueltos, mogollas, almojábanas or bread into it in pieces.
Eduardo Patarroyo says
And it is not tecnically a soup and not for beeing seem like one, it’s just a way of preparing milk for breakfast.
Diana says
My mom taught me to make this with garlic as well which gives it an excellent taste, (I don’t put pepper but maybe i’ll try it next time) and we also add in pieces of French or Italian bread when it’s close to being done. It’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes.. brings me back to when I lived in Colombia!
Mary Ann Z says
I love making this soup and didn’t t know the name until I saw this website Photo. It reminds me of my mom , She was from Bogota,. Wonderful to find an actual recipe as she didn’t leave a written recipe and I improvised from memory. I add a small amount of diced potato and also use mozzarella but now will add quest blanco instead.
Thank you. Mary Ann, a Colombian in upstate NY.
Allison says
We make it at home with envueltos in place of the bread in the soup & it is amazing u add it towards the very end because otherwise it will melt into the soup, but it gives it such a sweetness! You must try it.
Toni says
How interesting! Thank you for sharing that. I had to look up envueltos and I love how there are so many versions, from egg & cheese with corn, to something resembling a chicken tamale, to a sort of Latin-German/Hungarian-African fusion with tomatoey beef wrapped in cabbage!
I truly believe that if more people in the world could enjoy a wide variety of foods and appreciate the similarities between cultures, not to mention cooking and eating together. . . We would have a more harmonious world. Food creates Peace.
Mark says
Tried it in Bogotá. It’s definitely an acquired taste unless you have a severe hangover…which I didn’t. Soggy bread in hot watery milk with two waterlogged eggs floating in it and some cilantro tossed in to give it some taste. On the positive side, it’s bland enough not to give you more problems after a night of heaving up Bogotá beer and Aguardiente…which is the point of this soothingly bland breakfast dish.
Mark Woodhull says
Postscript: Changua is one of those foods that you’re either going to totally love…or totally hate. I find that there’s no middle ground.
Nicolas Arango says
I’m Colombian and I have to say that this soup is delicious!
Joseph says
I wonder if this could be made with beaten eggs instead sort of like a Colombian egg drop soup.
Elizabeth says
I just made this for my mom and she loved it! Flavor was delicious and even asked for seconds.
Mark says
I lived in Cali and my wife is from Bogotá. We can never agree on the value of Changua to the Colombian culinary history. Changua is an acquired taste. I guess you have to be from the colder climes of Bogotá to appreciate Changua. In Cali, we have much better options for breakfast than soggy bread and a runny egg drowning in hot milk and green onions. Eeeek! But, I eat it anyway for marital harmony. I put my foot down when it comes to agreeing on Deportivo Cali vs Santa Fe. Some things are just to sacred to change. 🙂
Olga Delmonte- Cardoso says
Hola Erica:
I love Changua! For me it is comfort food. My mom is Colombian and I am a Brazilian living in Northern California for almost 19 years. My mom used to cook this soup when we were sick or it was really cold in the morning. Thanks for your wonderful Colombian recipes.
Mark Woodhull says
I lived in Cali and never heard of Changua until I married my wife who is from Bogotá. Sooo…I tried Changua…once…just to promote marital harmony. My conclusion was that to truly appreciate Changua, one has to be from the chilly climes of Bogotá and drunk. To everyone else…Changua is an acquired taste. Yes, I’m still married…somehow.
Blanca Compton says
My name is Blanca. I came to this country when I was 18. I was lucky enough to have my mom live with us for the last years of her life, so I was able to learn how to cook the Colombian way.
One of the recepies that even my American children love is “The Changua” we had to make some changes to it, because some of us are alergic to “Eggs”. So here is our recepie. Hope you all enjoy it…
4 cups of milk
2cups of water
Boil with salt to taste and 2 tablespoones of Country Crock original butter.
Put in the pieces of bread while it is boiling the first time. Turn it off before it boils over. Put the rest of the bread and chopped Cilantro.
Turn the stove on and boil a second time, turning it off before it boils over again.
Serve and enjoy it. You can put more Butter if you like. We love the taste of it.
Toni says
I made this today. I added a pinch of cumin and a sprinkle of black pepper. I noticed your directions did not instruct on bringing the milk to a boil. . . I would advise to warm the milk over a low fire, stirring constantly, then slowly increase the heat as you bring it to a full boil, stirring constantly.
The soup is verrrrry mild, like a bland potato soup, but the salt from the bread and butter help bring out the onion flavor. I toasted and buttered my bread, then, used only the crusts, dropping only a couple at a time into the soup. The remaining crustless bread I just ate as toast on the side. This is because the mushy bread was not a texture I liked. In future, I’ll try with a crustier bread, such as sourdough, or a baguette.
I also reduced the soup to prepare for one person, using 1c milk, 1/2c water,1 egg, and 1 scallion.
Next time, I am going to try it with turmeric and a pinch of cayenne. For those seeking a hangover remedy, both of those spices will help.
The cilantro taste was, disappointingly, rather lost. I’m curious if perhaps a little lime juice would help bring it out, and maybe butterless toast.
Thank you for the recipe and the wealth of ideas it has inspired! I’ve saved several of your recipes and I’m looking forward to taking them for my own spin this month. Can’t wait to toast my own plantain!
Sharon Sundling says
! was astonished (happily so!) to see this recipe…!! I hvae never had this recipe, but it reminds me so much of my Mom making it for me when I was sick… altho she never added water to the milk. Being American we never called it Caldo, but just Egg and Milk on Buttered toast… I loved it. But she only made it when I was sick.. Now that I am once again reminded of it I will make it for myself, wheather I am sick or well. 🙂 Thank you for sharing it all of you.