Caldo de harina tostada is a southern Chilean winter soup built on a sofrito of onion, aji de color, and merken, thinned with boiling water and thickened with toasted wheat flour, then finished with egg whites and yolks stirred in off the heat. It takes 10 minutes of preparation plus 10 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people.
It is a heritage dish of the Mapuche tradition and of rural southern households, eaten through the coldest months to warm up and recover energy after a day of work. It is served straight away in deep bowls or clay cups, with a toasted aroma, a silky texture, and the smoky heat of merken.
How to Make Toasted Flour Soup?
Toasted flour is a cornerstone of Mapuche cooking, and its use in this broth shows how versatile the ingredient is across many preparations, always with fresh ingredients and gentle heat.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of toasted flour soup contains approximately 150 kcal, 6 g of protein, 8 g of total fat (2 g of saturated fat), 215 mg of cholesterol, 14 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of total sugars, and 320 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Caldo de Harina Tostada Recipe
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters (6 cups) of water
- Half a cup of toasted flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 onion, diced
- Aji de color or merken
- Dried and fresh oregano
- Sunflower oil
- Fine salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Add a little oil to a medium pot and gently fry the chopped onion with the aji de color, the merken, and salt and pepper to taste over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Boil the water and pour it straight into the pot, then add the oregano and the toasted flour. Stir everything gently with a wooden spoon and let the broth boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Separate the whites from the eggs and add them to the freshly boiled broth without stirring. On a separate plate, mix the yolks with a large spoonful of cold water.
- Add the yolks to the pot, stir gently to bring everything together, and let it rest for 2 minutes. Serve the toasted flour soup immediately in a deep bowl, piping hot.
Additional Tips
How to toast the flour without burning it
Use a heavy bottomed pan with no oil or butter. Heat it over medium heat for 1 minute before adding the flour. Pour in 4 tablespoons and stir constantly with a wooden spatula in circular movements so the heat reaches all the flour at once. The right point comes at 4 to 5 minutes, at a light brown color with a toasted nut aroma. If black specks appear, the burnt flour will make the broth bitter. Take it off the heat the moment it reaches the right color.
How to dissolve the toasted flour without lumps
Never add the toasted flour straight into hot broth, because the starch gelatinizes instantly and forms hard lumps that cannot be broken up. Let the flour cool for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat. Then put it in a glass with 200 ml of cold water at room temperature and whisk with a fork until the mixture is liquid and free of particles. Only then pour it in a thin steady stream over the hot broth while stirring without stopping. Any lump left disappears during the final 10 minutes of cooking.
How to add the egg to the broth
Beat 2 eggs in a glass until yolk and white are even. The broth should be at a full boil while you stir in circles with a spoon. Pour the beaten egg from a height of 15 to 20 cm onto the moving spoon, so the stream hits the hot broth and sets instantly into fine threads rather than forming an omelette at the bottom. If the broth is not boiling when the egg goes in, it sinks and sets into a compact mass. Keep stirring for 30 seconds after adding it.
Chilean Soups Made with Toasted Flour and Grains
| Soup | Base | Thickener | Region | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caldo de harina tostada | Poultry broth or water | Toasted wheat flour | Southern Chile | 20 min |
| Ulpo | Cold water or milk | Toasted flour | Southern Chile | 5 min, no cooking |
| Cocho | Hot water | Toasted flour | Central Chile | 5 min |
| Sopa de trigo | Beef broth | Whole wheat grains | Chilean countryside | 60-90 min |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the difference between caldo de harina tostada, ulpo and cocho?
The caldo is a savory soup cooked with a sofrito and eggs, while ulpo is a sweet drink made by mixing toasted flour with cold water or milk and sugar. Cocho is similar to ulpo but made with hot water, which gives a light, comforting paste.
2. How do I reheat the soup if I have leftovers?
The starch in the toasted flour keeps absorbing liquid, so the soup thickens as it cools. To reheat it, add a splash of hot water or broth and warm it over low heat, stirring constantly. Avoid a hard boil so the cooked egg threads do not toughen.
3. What do I do if my soup came out lumpy?
If the flour clumped, pass the soup through a fine sieve or use a quick blitz with an immersion blender before adding the eggs. Next time, sprinkle the flour in like rain and stir with a wooden spoon for a smooth mixture.
4. Is it suitable for low sodium or low cholesterol diets?
Toasted flour is naturally low in sodium and rich in fiber. To lower cholesterol, use only the egg whites or reduce the number of yolks. For sodium, use sea salt sparingly and build flavor with more merken and fresh herbs.
5. Can this soup be frozen?
Freezing is not recommended for soups containing poached eggs or emulsified yolks, since the texture of the egg changes dramatically on thawing and turns rubbery or grainy. It is better made fresh, since it only takes 10 minutes.
What Is Caldo de Harina Tostada?
Caldo de harina tostada is a savory soup whose body comes entirely from toasted wheat flour rather than from potatoes, rice, or noodles. The flour is toasted dry in a pan until it smells of nuts, dissolved in cold water, and stirred into the seasoned broth, where it turns the liquid silky. Egg added at the end gives the soup its protein and its characteristic white threads.
Origin of Toasted Flour Soup
The soup has deep roots in Mapuche cooking, where wheat brought by the Spanish was adapted to local toasting techniques using a callana, a metal or clay toasting pan. It was a staple of rural southern households, where the wheat was toasted and ground in cast iron mills as a family task just before cooking.
Did You Know?
In the past, the wheat was usually toasted in the household kitchen right before preparing the dish and then ground in cast iron mills clamped to the table, an activity the whole family took part in.
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?
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