Sofrito

By Von Diaz

Published March 24, 2021

Sofrito
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(271)
Comments
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Sofrito — a blend of garlic, onions, peppers and recao (culantro) — is the backbone of Puerto Rican flavor. Also referred to as recaito, it’s typically sautéed in oil as the foundation for sauces, braises, beans, stews and rice dishes. It’s also adaptable, and can yield a lighter, more verdant flavor if sautéed for 2 to 3 minutes, and a richer flavor if sautéed for 7 to 10 minutes and combined with tomato sauce. This recipe yields about 3 cups, which is probably more than you’ll use for any recipe, but it keeps well. My grandmother often kept sofrito in the freezer stored in a repurposed plastic margarine container, or frozen into cubes and saved in plastic zip-top bags. If kept in the refrigerator, it’s best if used within a week, but can be frozen for up to six months. You can also put it into a pan with hot oil straight from the freezer, though it may sputter a smidge.

Featured in: Von Diaz’s Essential Puerto Rican Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2¼ cups
  • 1medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
  • 3ají dulce or amarillo peppers (or mini bell peppers), seeded and coarsely chopped (see Notes)
  • 6large garlic cloves
  • 1large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 6fresh culantro leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped (see Notes)
  • 6fresh cilantro stems, coarsely chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

110 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 27 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large food processor or blender, blend the peppers and garlic until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion and blend until smooth, then add the culantro and cilantro, and blend until smooth. The sofrito will keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tips
  • If you can’t find ají dulce or amarillo peppers, it’s OK to use more red, orange or yellow bell pepper.
  • Culantro, also called sawtooth herb or wild coriander, has long leaves with jagged edges and a stronger, earthier flavor than cilantro. You can find it in the produce section of most Latino markets, as well as many Asian markets.

Ratings

4 out of 5
271 user ratings
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Comments

CF

I love culantro (Eryngium foetidum) and find it superior to cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), as I am one of those people who perceives cilantro as smelling of wet, dirty dog and tasting of soap. I don't have that problem with culantro, despite how persistent it is both as a taste and an odour. "Pro tips": where I live, I can only find culantro in Asian grocery stores, where it is labelled as ngò gai. Other names include recao, chardon/shadon/shadow beni, bhandhania, Mexican/Vietnamese coriander.

Suzi

No, Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata) is a entirely different plant than culantro, AKA Ngo gai, which is known as Mexican coriander. I grow both and believe me there is a huge difference.

MC

The amarillo pepper is hot, and tastes nothing like the aji dulce used in PR. A cubanelle pepper would be a much better substitute, and is usually included in most sofrito recipes, in addition to the aji dulce.

PjP

The best sofritto I have made, bar none! I freeze it, and use it whenever I want to bump up the flavor of many dishes.

Diana

In Cuba we also make sofrito, although it is slightly different from Puerto Rico's. The "Trinity" is olive oil, garlic and onion. People usually add green pepper, pimientos (sweet red peppers) salt, pepper. tomatoes, vino seco (dry cooking wine), Spanish chorizo, spices (cumin, culantro (not cilantro)), "Mexican" oregano (different from "American" oregano), sazon, saffron, bay leaves, annato, etc., depending on what they are cooking. Cuban food is spicy, but it is not "hot".

DMac

My Puerto Rican grandmother never used cilantro or cualantro, and neither did my mom, and neither do I :-) I don't know why they didn't use it, but I don't because I'm one of those people with a cilantro-aversion. If any purist tries to tell you that cualantro (or cilantro) must be included in an 'authentic' sofrito, they can take it up with my grandma who was born and raised in Puerto RIco. ;-p

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