Kak'ik Guatemalan Turkey Soup Recipe
By: Tristan Guilbeault
Instagram: @tristangcooks
“Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite.”
It's official, it's soup season! No meal better embodies the falling leaves and the dropping temperatures than a steaming hot bowl of nutritious soup! Now when it comes to soup: you want a meal, you want something hearty, you want something hot, you want something with a huge depth of flavour. I believe that nobody does this better than Central America. The soups and stews that originate from this region are warm, full of spice and built with flavour.
In Canada, Turkey is a protein only found around certain holidays and many find themselves with a ton of leftovers. Here, I have a fantastic way to use up those leftovers in a way that isn't just a riff on the classic chicken noodle.
Kak`ik is a Mayan pre-hispanic soup originating from Guatemala. “Kak” translates to red, “ik” hot or spicy. At Amaranth, you can find all the ingredients needed. I have included a couple other ingredients that are traditional but more difficult to find.
Kak’ik Guatemalan Turkey Soup
Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault
Total Time (Preparation + Cooking): 2 Hours
Ingredients
● 1 whole Chicken, or leftover Turkey plus bones.
● 5 Roma Tomatoes
● 1 Lg White Onion
● 2 Red Peppers
● 2 Whole Garlic Heads
● 1⁄2 cup chopped Cilantro, stems reserved
● 1 tsp Black Peppercorn
● 1 stick Cinnamon
● 3 Bay Leaves
● 1⁄2 cup El Herdez Salsa Verde
● 1⁄4 cup chopped Mint
● 1 tsp Achiote or (2 tsp smoked Paprika and 1⁄2 tsp Turmeric)
● 1⁄4 tsp Chipotle powder (optional) but recommended
Instructions
1. Start your stock, add turkey bones (or whole chicken), peppercorn, cilantro stems, water, and onion skins from step 2. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce down to a simmer. Cook for one hour.
2. Set the oven to 425. Take skins off the onion, cut against the grain into 1⁄2-inch ribbons, deseed the peppers, and leave the tomatoes whole. Get a baking sheet and spray with oil, arrange vegetables as well as garlic heads. Spray more oil on top and season liberally with salt. Bake until vegetables are charred but not burnt, around 40 mins.
3. Add all vegetables, 1⁄2 cup Salsa Verde, the achiote, and chipotle (if using) to a blender, and blend until smooth. This may need to be done in batches.
4. Add the blended vegetables to a pot, add cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Turn off stock, strain and reserve liquid. Add 2 cups of stock to the blended veg and turn the pot to a low simmer. At this stage, you can add turkey legs or chicken and let it slowly braise, or if you have leftover meat you can add later.
5. Once the broth has reduced and gotten thicker like a light stew, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add half of the chopped cilantro and all of the chopped mint. Season to taste with salt and finally add your shredded chicken or turkey.
6. Serve hot with your favourite starch and garnish with fresh cilantro!
SUBSTITUTIONS
Achiote and Chipotle are not essential for this dish, however, the flavour is much deeper when used. Achiote or Annatto is what really makes this soup red or “kak”. If want to use it, check your local Latin market. The paprika and turmeric additions are used to mimic the colour Achiote provides. Chipotle powder provides a hit of spice and smoke that is essential to Kak`ik. Smoked paprika can bring that as well without the spice.
This delicious soup should be served over rice with a turkey drumstick, and garnished with cilantro. It can be eaten with a side of rice, beans, chickpeas, potatoes, corn, or tortillas. I like it garnished with fresh cilantro, breakfast radish, tortillas and a splash of hot sauce. For more recipes from Chef Tristan, follow him on Instagram.