Cooking like a local in Ecuador

On the coast the ubiquitous verde reigns supreme!

Verde, plantain in its green phase, is the principle ingredient in dumplings, bolon (a sort of fried dumpling), sancocho stews, chifles (chips), patacones (fries) and much more.

Checlk out Laylita.com for recipes.

Susan

Susan,
Thank you for the reference to laylita.com. I have learned so much from her site.

In Quito, Fritada is popular especially as a cheap street meal. Secos are also popular during lunch with at least one variation on an almuerzo menu. Some places are quite creative serving pollo naranja or pollo cocacola. Ceviche is a popular Sunday family dish, and this is when cevicherías are most busy. Caldo de pata, and caldo de gallina are also popular at mercados especially on weekends.

Ecuador is gastronomically diverse and so there isn't a specific national dish. Ruby Larrea, a famous Ecuadorian chef said the soup is the national dish of Ecuador. I have her book Secos y envueltos del Ecuador which is good but rarely use.

I tend to agree with Larrea's thoughts that soup is the national dish, because as she pointed out it is served in every region using local ingredients. But you know what? It takes time and effort to make delicious Ecuadorian soup or as my Ecuadorian friend said, his mother begins preparing it (sancocho) at 9 o'clock in the morning and it's ready at 1.

That's too much effort and time, and I don't want my apartment smelling like soup for a few days. But yeah I prefer to enjoy my soup that accompanies a $3.00 almuerzo. It's almost always delicious and they do all the work.

Sometimes I request an additional take-away soup for $1, and leave it in the fridge for a later time.

Around this time of year, temporada de fanesca (season of fanesca), and religiously semana santa (holy week), a dish called fancesca is made in homes, mercados and restaurants in Quito.

Like many other dishes the ingredients differ from region to region and in Quito from place to place. There's actually an annual competition to see who makes the best fanesca. Quiteños love these food competitions, but anyhow this dish is basically meatless and in Quito consists of  several ingredients including 12 beans/grains that traditionally represent the disciples and salted fish called, bacaloa, which can be seen in heaps this time of year at mercados which represents Jesus.

A dessert, hijos con queso (figs with cheese), is sometimes served with fanesca. If you want to try it out, restaurants will be serving it, and more conveniently you can order it at a Mercado for about $4. Never underestimate mercados because they are sometimes winners in food competitions.

Hello Pricilia, apart from some soups I don't like any Ecuadorean foods . Sorry . I just prepare the foods my self , I have tried some foods for taste , no more .


Sorry . Have a good day .

Alright guys with regards to the above comment about Ecuadorian cuisine not being good. It's of course relative, but it is what it is, and it's an underwhelming cuisine especially for expats who have lived in countries/regions where powerhouse cuisines (Indian, Chinese, etc) are part of everyday food (for instance Singapore). But you kind of get used to the food here, and I especially like Manabí dishes.

What's truly amazing about Ecuador is the availability of raw food. Chicken whether caged or rural, rabbit meat, turkey, lamb, goat, beef, pork, veal, lobster, scallops, all kinds of fish, crab, all sizes and varieties of shrimp, squid. We have almost every vegetable, tons of fruits, and everything in abundance. This is amazing for a small country, and a gallon of fresh milk went down $.30 since last year or from $5.06 to $4.76. There's also huge improvement in beef production because now they are selling locally produced “corte especial” (special cuts) which are export quality. This little country makes all this stuff!

Some of my favorite Ecuadorian food:

Ceviche
Arroz con coco y camarones
Fried fish whole
Fried corvina con papas 
Seco de chivo
Seco de pollo
Guatita  (cow tripe, but only homemade like the one my neighbor makes or one from a decent restaurant)
Arroz con mariscos
Pollo con menestras (especially lentils)

Soup
Caldo de gallina
Caldo de pata
Sancocho
Quinua
Encebollado
Sopa de Bolas de Verde

Misc
Chocolo asado con queso. (corn on the cob with cheese) Yummy!
Ají  (definitely the very spicy manabita), and ají de aguacate
Cookies everything from Manabí with extra coconut
Humita (generously garnished with ají de queso) with a cup of black coffee yummy!
Empanadas (Chilena imitations)
Mora cheesecake
Mora ice cream

I'd like to add to the list,

Ceviche de chochos,
Hornado,
Cuy,
Yahuarlocro,
Papas con cuero,
Morocho,
Empanadas de viento
Colada Morada,
Encocado de cangrejo
Chupe de pescado
Sancocho de pescado
Sopa marinera
Conchas asadas,
chicha,

..... and so on, and so on....
bon appetite!

Had fanesca today, viernes santo, and not that I planned to but walking by CasaRES, a steak house, I saw their sign for $7.99, and well, it was real good. I definitely recommend trying out this seasonal dish. I didn't count the number of type of beans but I don't doubt that they constituted twelve.

Ok, now with regards to one of marcomueses choices – ceviche  de chochos. In the capital this is commonly eaten as a snack, and on the streets you buy it for 50 cents or a dollar, depending on size. I absolutely love this stuff, and the street variety tastes a million times better than ready-made cups sold in supermarkets. It's just not the same, and as far as I'm concerned one of the greatest snacks on the face of the earth, and definitely healthy.

Secos are very easy to make but everyone has their own way to do it. For example when adding the sour ingredient I have been advised to use passion fruit, naranjila (sorry for spelling) and simple vinegar. I usually use vinegar because I always have it.

Ceviches are another one that has many different ways on how it should be prepared. I have made it twice once with beer and once without. I think it's a pretty straightforward process.

I do not really like many of the lunches for three dollars or less because I find them bland, not enough protein and really just seems like food to fill you rather than food made with love and care. However on travels and eating at small farms the food has a better flavour.

When experiencing a new culture I think it is important to try new things however I just cannot eat cuy. This is traditional? When I was in Baños I saw a lot but I just cannot eat it because to me it is a pet. (If other people eat it no judgement here.) However most people I have talked to here aren't keen on it or even the idea of trying it

Queso de leche is very similar to flan and easy to make. Higos and queso also nice in the evenings although I don't like it too much because of the sweetness.

Platain dishes are great. Sometimes the Bolon can be too dry and bland so it's good to try different places...Never judge a book by it's cover.

Try to learn and make things at home. Most of it is easy..If a little time consuming but it is worth it.