'Sopa Negra' Recipes and Food

Mario from in the desert (Contact Member) - 11/15/06 19:10

Has anyone tried sopa negra? I know it is black beans and poached eggs, but as an American I have never tried it. I was wondering if it is really good. I have a neice that is doing a project on Costa Rica and she has to bring a food, but she doesn't want to gross her class out. This is supposed to be one of the most common dishes of Costa Rica.

Comment #1 Old Grump from San Jose (Contact Member) - 11/16/06 03:27

Rice and Beans (very bland... needs salt and other spices) is the most common food in Costa Rica.

I don't recall Sopa Negra having a poached egg.

Comment #2 Roxy from Heaven (Contact Member) - 11/16/06 20:10

So is sopa negra good? I didn't think it had rice in it. I just thought it was a black bean soup.

Comment #3 sandy from baytown, tx (Contact Member) - 11/18/06 15:20

I just searched and you are right Roxy, it is black bean soup. But it does have eggs! Here's the recipe:

Sopa Negra Recipe (Black Bean Soup Costa Rican Style)

1 lb (450 gr.) Black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.

8 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water or a mix

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt

1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

salt and black pepper to taste

6 eggs

Finely chop

10-12 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen, not dried!

1 small or medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 small green, red, or yellow sweet pepper

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. Drain the beans and add water or chicken broth, salt, and half of the chopped ingredients. bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are nearly soft (~ 2½ hours). Add the rest of the chopped ingredients, and vegetable oil, and cook an additional ½ hour. Add eggs for the final 2-4 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs cooked). Remove about half the beans and reserve for gallo pinto or to mash and refry (you can leave all the beans in but typically some are removed).

Remove the eggs, peel and place one or two in each bowl before serving with warm corn tortillas.

Comment #4 Mario from in the desert (Contact Member) - 11/25/06 11:45

Ok, makes me feel better that I am not losing it. I thought I saw somewhere that it has egg in it. I guess there are just different varieties of Sopa Negra.

Comment #5 sandy from baytown, tx (Contact Member) - 11/26/06 00:28

Haha, yeah it does have eggs. I never heard of eggs being in black bean soup though. I wonder how good it is. I'll have to make this someday!

Comment #6 William A Sing from Key West,, Florida (Contact Member) - 05/17/07 11:43

Sopa Negra, I remember as a kid in the 50's, is for a healthy but cheap meal, the best part was the eggs. I do remember that Sopa Negra must be eaten with fresh Costa Rica tortillas, different from Mexico's tortillas, Costa Rica's are heavier/thicker. Once in a while, still cook Sopa negra, but no C.R. tortillas with it. My mother used to tell me that Sopa Negra is like drinking blood, sometimes she would add Platanos Negros (green plantains), and the combination would make you sweat.

Comment #7 Lisa (63.176.159.178) - 09/22/08 08:13

I never had eggs in my black bean soup served in Costa Rica.

Comment #8 Sanchez (63.176.159.183) - 10/15/08 14:30

Tilapia

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

* 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, divided

* 4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided

* 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

* 1/4 teaspoon sugar

* 6 tilapia fillets, about 5 ounces each

* 3/4 cup long-grain rice

* 1 cup chopped onions

* 2 oranges, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped

* 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

* 1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto beans, drained, rinsed

* 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

METHOD:

Marinade Preparation:

1. Combine lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar.

2. Add tilapia and marinate 15 minutes, turning once.

Bean and Rice Mixture:

1. Cook rice and keep warm.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. In a large, skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat.

4. Add remaining garlic and onions; sauté until translucent.

5. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, oranges, tomatoes, beans, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne.

6. Cook, uncovered, until hot stirring occasionally.

7. Transfer hot rice to a baking dish.

8. Add bean mixture and blend.

9. Overlap tilapia fillets on top and add marinade over fillets.

10. Bake until the tilapia begins to flake.

Comment #9 Jimmy (63.176.159.247) - 10/15/08 19:15

How do you make that without measuring cups, spoons, or a way to measure your oven temperature?

Comment #10 dustin (63.176.159.142) - 12/01/08 12:55

what are you talking about? it has the measurements and the degrees to set the oven...

Comment #11 Todd (63.176.159.55) - 12/02/08 06:03

Jimmy is right on dustin... in Costa Rica they good without such tools... so why would you put such measurements in a Costa Rican recipe??

Comment #12 Naid (63.176.159.82) - 02/10/09 04:06

An expert on cooking and in the kitchen can cook deliciously even without the luxury of those utensils. Cooking instinct is the key for that and lots of practice also. I'm a bit intrigued by Sanchez's "Tilapia" recipe. I want to try it but I don't know where to find the tilapia fillets? Local supermarket here don't sell those. By the way what kind of dish is it? sounds something ethnic.

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