Hogao is a traditional Colombian creole sauce made with tomatoes, onions, scallions and spices. It's the base of many popular Colombian dishes.
What is Colombian Hogao?
It is one of the most traditional Colombian seasoning sauces. We use Hogao as a base for many typical Colombian dishes or just as a dipping sauce for Pátacones, Platanitos and Yuca frita or just as a topping for arepas.
Ingredients
This Colombian Hogao recipe is made with tomatoes, garlic, onions or scallions, oil, cumin, salt and pepper.
In Colombia you will find different versions of this sauce depending on the region and the cook. I prepare my hogao the way my grandmother taught me as indicated in the recipe card below.
How to Make Hogao
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the tomatoes, scallions, garlic, ground cumin and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring until softened.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the salt and , cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Check and adjust the seasoning.
How to Store this Sauce
I keep it refrigerated up to 1 week in a sealed container. Reheat it on the stove or microwave.
You can also freeze the hogao for up to 3 months. Make sure you put it in a freezer bag or container that seals well. Defrost and reheat it.
More Colombian Sauces
Avocado Sauce (Salsa de Aguacate)
Hogao Recipe (Colombian Creole Sauce)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups diced tomato
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the tomatoes, scallions, garlic, ground cumin and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring until softened.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the salt and , cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Check and adjust the seasoning.
PATRICIA
looking for a arepas filling recipe.it had capers garlic parsley . dont no what was in it iif anyone has a filling for arepas without meat or cheese. it was so so good.
it was served as an appetizer.
Sandra Diaz
can you make big batches and freeze? I have a garden and would love to make some using ur garden ingredients to can or freeze to use in the winter. Thank you so much for this great resource. My family is from Colombia but I am vegan but having these recipes will help me adapt (some) of these dishes for myself to honor my heritage!
Kathrin Pejic
Hello,
my Colombian husband and I are vegan, too. We live in Germany. For us it is very important to cook all these Colombian recipes in a vegan version! If you change some basics it´s very easy to cook vegan Colombian dishes! My husband loves my vegan Bandeja paisa, I never thought it would be possible, but you can do everything eccept the egg... I was thinking making my own blog about veganised Colombian recipes....
Elizabeth
Kathrin Pejic, if you ever get around to making that blog about vegan Colombian dishes, I would LOVE to know. Thank you!!
RalphC.
I live in El Quindio Colombia it was time I made this side dish, I did ad bits of fresh carrots 1/2 cup 1/2 green pepper, I enjoy more using yellow midden onion chopped, 5 midden garlic heads chopped, the rest normal, well almost I did spice it up with hot red pepper powder, man this side came out better then others I've tasted here in almost 5 years, ENJOY!
Respondon
I made sobrebarriga to go with it, following Doris Lopez on youtube:
youtube.com/watch?v=swlneSQ0qVM
It came out pretty nicely considering I didn't use fresh spices and did use brisket rather than flank steak. Flank steak is way too expensive to be simmered for three hours (what you need to do if you don't have a pressure cooker). Pero seria poca cosa sin hogao!
Respondon
It really works 🙂 I couldn't even remember what hogao was supposed to taste like, but after one taste it came back to me. I'm making sobrebarriga (what, no recipe here???) two days from now and we'll see how this stuff works for real! If the sobrebarriga works, that is.
W.
Does this recipe work with canned tomatoes as well?
Shelia Addair
My Columbian friends make a ...I'm going to call it a dip or sauce...it's green and served with yuca, rice and everything. Do you have any knowledge of this dish?
Erica
Sheila- maybe aji or chimichurri.
Maria Restrepo Forte
definitely aji. Yum
Linda Milligan Collazos
I am so glad to have found this blog! I have been married to a Colombian for 44 years. I am going to make your hogao and then bistec a la criolla~
Ivan
I beg my mom to write down her Colombian recipes, but with no luck so far. I am glad I found your site!!
Viviana
I have found all my favorite foods on your site! I can't thank you enough for posting these recipes. They are so easy to follow and I love the fact that you post pictures! That way I know what it is supposed to look like and I can pick up some garnishing tips as well. THANK YOU!
herbieK
this turned out delicous and perfect, my Colombian husband thanks you! I have made several of your site's recipes and all have turned out delicious, thank you for this great resource
Anonymous
I love hogao...it is my favorite Colombian sauce. I made it and serve it over arepa and patacones.
Baking is my Zen
Looks great. Will be making soon.
5 Star Foodie
This tomato sauce sounds delicious with onions and cumin!
Soma
Thanks for visiting me.. & am i glad to be in your blog!! u have a great place here with some traditional recipes. I have subscribed to your post feed.
This sauce is very very similar to the basic curry sauce we make in India, same spices & done in the same was!! what a wonderful color!
~Carole
I can't wait to make this! It looks & sounds fabulous.
I really appreciate all the Columbian recipes you share on this blog.
M Hansen
Colombian. Please be considerate.
Elizabeth
M Hansen, you read my mind! Hahahaa... such a common gringo mistake. #ItsCOLOMBIAnotColumbia 🙂
None
Such a common mistake, get over yourself.
Bob
No worries...us Colombians have been called worse things than Columbians!!!after all, we have tough skin
Al
Just stumbled into this conversation looking for, well cargamantos recepies. Seriously funny.
Some say tomatos others tomatoes. Just cook them.
Pretty much the same...
None
Pretty racist of you to call someone a “gringo”.. hypocritical if you ask me.
Anonymous
I'm sorry your white privilege was offended
Anonymous
In Colombia gringo is not an insult. It just means you’re from the US. They do not use it offensively.
Elizabeth
Pffttt. “Gringo” isn’t racist . I’m “gringa” and use the term all the time. People from Colombia use it lovingly.
Juan Fernando (not hiding)
Dear None,
Nice to hide behind a "None", as ColOmibians, we can use Gringo in numerous ways, including colloquially , it is not necessarily insulting, perhaps you should understand the culture and the context, marico .. We use a lot of words colloquially. Perhaps stop being a snowflake.
John Petry
As a gringo, I find your outrage over the use of the term "gringo" rather silly. It is not racist at all and is used by people from the United States quite commonly in Mexico to refer to themselves. As for the fine folks of Colombia, it is obvious that you have never been there in your life. They are some of the nicest, most hospitable people I have ever encountered in my 65 years. They might be racist about somethings but I never saw it. The certainly did not direct any hostility towards me or other gringos I met there.
Maria Restrepo Forte
Sort of a waste of time to be offended by what we colombians use often. My husband is a gringo and he doesn't mind it at all. Chill out and worry about the virus. Do you even know where the term comes from?
Colombian
no one asked you mate. Chill, you were on the wrong first, so lets all relax and cook some hogao. Enjoy your meal!
Andrea
I totally agree… and I’m Colombian. It’s rude. I’m a (US) citizen and if anything I would like to be called North American
Anne-Marie Gonzales
Calling someone a gringo can be pretty inflammatory. My family is from Spain and I don't know that I would've spelled Colombian properly if it weren't for spellcheck. Columbia is the appropriate spelling when used for District of Columbia and British Columbia so it can be easily confused the same as many homophones. Your use of gringo was obviously meant to be an insult so may I suggest you do some reading on the origins of the word and you'll find that it's only recently historically evolved into a pejorative and did not translate that way in the beginning but now has duel meaning. You could also try and practice a little more tolerance for those who are ignorant to your culture or language and educate them instead of putting them down. Salud
Claudia
That’s funny you say this. I always say “with an “O”, not a ”U” when I’m referring to my Colombian heritage, cooking, or that sort. Just to clarify to them because, honestly, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I see this! But not out of anger, they just need to be educated with clarification.
Jimmy Araujo
Be considerate? Relax. Columbia. Colombia. Not the end of the freaking world. I’m
Colombian, by the way.
Gringo en Colombia
Still... It's nice to see the lovely country of Colombia be referred to with its correct spelling. I just don't understand why people should feel insulted when their mistakes are politely corrected. It's kind of mind blowing that anyone wouldn't want to continue being educated in this big world. Point out my mistakes...maybe I'll learn something.
an actual colombian
yall are ridiculous lmao go outside and stop picking fights with people hiding behind a screen jesus
Paula
I don’t think we should say Colombia if we’re writing in English. It’s not like we say United States in Spanish. It’s always Estados Unidos
A Colombian Abroad
Colombia in English is still Colombia.
Anne-Marie Gonzales
I don't think she was being inconsiderate it was simply a spelling mistake.
Daniel Alvarado
Thank you so much. A good hogao can truly elevate a dish to crazy delicious heights.
James
Just made a batch, much love from Budapest!
Trish Rivera
Its Colombian NOT Columbian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angus
I have never tried Colombian food , but think that Colombian ladies are very beautiful , love from a Scottish Gringo xx
maria
Another yummy "columbian" concoction is aji. A nicely grilled steak with aji is memorable.