Machos ahogados, also known as sopones, is a traditional Chilean winter soup in which spoonfuls of a flour and egg batter are dropped into a seasoned beef broth and simmered until they set into soft dumplings. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people.
It is one of the oldest and cheapest soups in the Chilean repertoire, made all over the country when the weather turns cold, and its success depends on keeping the broth moving so the dumplings never stick to the bottom of the pot.
How to Make Machos Ahogados or Sopones?
When you make machos ahogados you can use a broth you already have on hand, a packaged version, or one dissolved from a stock cube. The batter is what really crowns the final presentation.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of machos ahogados contains approximately 180 kcal, 8 g of protein, 6 g of total fat (1.5 g of saturated fat), 60 mg of cholesterol, 24 g of carbohydrates, 1 g of total sugars, and 700 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Machos Ahogados Recipe
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters (6 cups) of beef broth
- 125 g (4.4 oz) of wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of onion
- 1 tablespoon of parsley
- Baking powder
- Chilean alino completo spice mix
- Fine salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Take a bowl, separate the egg white from the yolk, and beat the white to stiff peaks. Add the yolk and beat again until the mixture is even, then add the onion and the parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix everything thoroughly.
- Over the egg mixture, sift the flour together with 1 teaspoon of baking powder, stir with a wooden spoon, and add about 3 tablespoons of water, or as much as you need to get a moist batter.
- Pour the beef broth into a medium pot and heat it over medium-high heat until it boils. Lower the heat and season with alino completo to taste. Gently drop spoonfuls of the flour and egg batter into the broth, one by one, without letting them break apart, and cook covered.
- Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the machos ahogados immediately, piping hot, sprinkling parsley over the surface of the broth to taste.
Additional Tips
Swap the broth freely
Depending on what you have available, chicken, fish, or vegetable broth all work equally well and give small variations in flavor to suit your own taste.
Keep the broth in motion
Stir the broth gently before each spoonful goes in. A still pot lets the batter settle and stick to the bottom, which is the only real way this soup goes wrong.
Beat the white first
Whipping the egg white to stiff peaks before folding in the yolk is what gives the dumplings their light, spongy interior instead of a dense, doughy one.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef broth | Chicken or vegetable broth | 1:1 | Lighter, less rich |
| Wheat flour | Half flour, half cornstarch | 1:1 | Softer, more delicate dumplings |
| Egg | Oil plus milk | 1 egg : 2 tbsp oil and 60 ml milk | Less fluffy, still binds |
| Alino completo | Cumin, oregano, and paprika | 1:1 | Sharper, less rounded |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can machos ahogados be made without egg?
Yes. Replace the egg with 2 tablespoons of oil and half a cup of milk, although the dumplings will come out less fluffy.
2. Which flour works best for this recipe?
Plain wheat flour is ideal, but for a lighter version use half flour and half cornstarch.
3. How do I stop the dumplings from sticking to the bottom?
Keep the broth moving gently with a wooden spoon before adding each spoonful of batter.
4. Can this soup be frozen?
It is best eaten fresh, but the base broth can be frozen for up to 1 month. Make the batter at the moment of serving.
5. Can I use a different broth?
Depending on what you have, chicken, fish, or vegetable broth all work and give small variations in flavor to suit your own taste.
What Are Machos Ahogados?
Machos ahogados is a broth-based Chilean soup whose only solid element is a batter of flour, egg, onion, and parsley, spooned into simmering stock where it puffs up into soft dumplings. It belongs to the same family of thrifty winter soups as bread soup and concones, built on whatever broth a household already had going.
History and Origin of Machos Ahogados
The unusual name, which translates roughly as drowned males, comes from the resemblance between the batter floating in the broth and the lambs that drown crossing the rivers of southern Chile and float belly up, white and round.
Did You Know?
The ingredients used in machos ahogados provide a combination of essential nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, which helps make it part of a balanced diet.
How to adapt this recipe to a vegan or vegetarian version?
How to adapt this recipe to a gluten-free version?
How to adapt this recipe to a keto (ketogenic) version?
Recommended
- Chilean Bread Soup Recipe
- Chilean Concones Dumpling Soup Recipe
- Chilean Wild Mushroom Broth Recipe
- Chilean Pigs Feet Broth Recipe
