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Sancocho is a traditional strew made of beef, chicken, potatoes, yuca, and corn on the cob. It’s a Dominican staple dish with different variations throughout Latin American kitchens.
As winter begins its cold creep, there comes a hankering for soup. Not just any soup, but the kind that yields real comfort.
No other soup will do for many but “sancocho,” the Dominican and Latin Caribbean equivalent to the ubiquitous chicken noodle soup.
“Sancocho” is a staple year-round in many Latin American countries, each with different variations.
You can try a local sampling of it at the famed Washington Heights eatery El Malecon Restaurant, located on the corner of West 175th and Broadway, where many diners that frequent the place have been devoted to it since it opened its doors 25 years ago.
“We are an extension of people’s kitchens and their living rooms,” said José Gómez, El Malecon’s owner who hails from the Dominican Republic, and was raised in Washington Heights.
“I started running around this kitchen when I was 13 years old,” he said. El Malecon, which has seen various renovations throughout the years, has successfully remained ahead of the curve not just in their amenities, but also in maintaining a varied menu and consistent customer service, caring for decades-long customers as if they were family.
And to whom they have ladled much sancocho.
Sancocho is a thick, stew-like meat-based soup made of beef, chicken, potatoes, yuca, and corn on the cob.
The dish is accompanied with white rice and fresh slices of avocados. Depending on your tastes, the rice is often mixed into the soup, as if it were something of a gumbo, or the meat is taken out and eaten with the rice.
There is no wrong way, it must be said, to eat sancocho – save for leaving any behind.
At El Malecon, a heaping porting of sancocho includes chicken drumsticks, beef oxtail, potatoes, and yuca. As far as the preparation, Gómez said they prepare two batches of soup, one in the morning to get them through the lunch crowd and another one in the late afternoon for the dinner rush.
The preparation begins with a house secret: El Malecon’s sofrito base made of garlic, crushed peppers, and cilantro, to name but a few of the ingredients. The meat, which has also been seasoned separately, is then added to the pot and sautéed until browned. Water is then added along with the potatoes, yuca, and corn, as the soup begins to simmer.
“We prepare sancocho, everyday no matter what,” said Gómez, explaining that it’s one of the menu’s most popular dishes, and that is prepared fresh every morning to meet the demand.
Practice has made perfect, as El Malecon’s sancocho is the perfect consistency. The savory stew is thick in texture without being heavy, and is acked with flavor, from the tender meat to the yuca and potatoes, which are cooked to perfection and flake delicately into the broth.
Pair with white rice as you wish, and to add a creamy snap, dip the avocado in the soup.
Carmen Jimenez, a waitress at El Malecon for 17 years, says the sancocho is a popular favorite.
“Some people like more soup, less meat; others like more meat, less potatoes. Either way, we serve it how our customers like it,” she said, adding that the soup sells the most at lunch time and over the weekend.
“Sancocho is a dish I have grown to love,” said owner Gómez. “It has all the basic elements of a good meal: meat, rice, potatoes, and soup. The older I get, the more I like it. It’s a real comfort dish representatives of all things Latin American.”
El Malecon is located at 4141 Broadway, on the corner of West 175th Street.
The phone number is 212.927.3812.
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