Hogao

Name: Hogao
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Colombia
Ingredients: 6 stalks cebolla larga (long spring onions / large spring onions), white and green parts, thinly sliced; 4 large ripe tomatoes, diced (or 400g canned, drained); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.25 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (optional)

Colombia's indispensable onion and tomato sofrito: long spring onions and ripe tomatoes cooked down until jammy and concentrated: the foundation beneath every Colombian dish, the flavour that defines a nation's table

Origin: Colombia

From the journey of Spring Onion.

Hogao is the foundational preparation of Colombian cuisine: a slow-cooked reduction of cebolla larga (long spring onions, similar to spring onions or large scallions) and ripe tomatoes in oil, cooked until completely collapsed and intensely concentrated into a jammy, fragrant sofrito. It is not a dish in itself but the essential base of virtually everything Colombian: ajiaco (Bogotá's great chicken and potato soup), bandeja paisa (the Antioquian platter), arroz con pollo, tamales, and dozens of other preparations. It is Colombia's equivalent of the French mirepoix, the Spanish sofrito, and the West African tomato-onion base; and like all of those foundational preparations, its apparent simplicity is deceptive. The slow reduction concentrates the onion's natural sweetness and the tomato's acidity into something greater than either ingredient alone. The Colombian preference for cebolla larga (a long, mild spring onion with a more delicate flavour than the European bulb onion) gives hogao a specific character, but bulb onions work well in this recipe.

Ingredients

Onions

6 stalks cebolla larga (long spring onions / large spring onions), white and green parts, thinly sliced

Tomatoes

4 large ripe tomatoes, diced (or 400g canned, drained)

Base

3 cloves garlic, minced

Fat

2 tbsp neutral oil

Spices

0.5 tsp ground cumin
0.25 tsp ground black pepper

Seasoning

1 tsp salt

Herbs

1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the sliced cebolla larga (spring onions) and garlic. Cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and golden.
Add the diced tomatoes, cumin, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20–25 minutes until the tomatoes have completely collapsed and the mixture is thick, jammy, and concentrated; not watery. The oil should be separating slightly at the edges.
Add the fresh coriander if using. Taste and adjust salt. The hogao should be intensely flavoured; sweet, savoury, and mildly spiced.
Use immediately as a base for soups, stews, rice, or eggs; or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Hogao also freezes well.

Notes

Hogao is sometimes called 'guiso colombiano' or simply 'salsa criolla colombiana'; though it is different from Peruvian salsa criolla, which is a raw preparation. The Colombian hogao is always cooked. Regional variations exist: the Costeño version (from the Caribbean coast) may include ají (chilli pepper) and additional spices; the Andean version is typically plainer. The dish is the most direct expression of the central importance of the allium in Colombian cooking: there is no Colombian food culture without onion, and the daily act of making hogao; the smell of onion and tomato softening in oil; is one of the most universally shared sensory memories of Colombian childhood.

The Gastrographer

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control