Name: Llanos-Style Sancocho with Carne Oreada, Green Plantain and Cassava
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 3000 ml water; 350 g beef soup bone; 500 g commercially prepared carne oreada, cut into 4 cm pieces; 120 g scallions, tied in a bundle; 2 g ground cumin; 3 large green cooking plantains, about 750 g peeled, broken by hand into 5 cm pieces; 600 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces; 150 g white onion, finely diced; 200 g firm tomatoes, diced; 5 g fresh cimarrón or culantro, chopped; 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped; Cooked white rice, optional accompaniment; 1 ripe avocado, sliced, optional; Ají, served separately; check package for allergens

Sancocho criollo o llanero with carne oreada beef, green plantain and cassava in a rustic bowl.

Region Villanueva, Casanare, in Colombia’s Orinoquía

Dish Sancocho criollo o llanero

Yield 8 servings

Active preparation 35 minutes

Cooking time About 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Llanos-Style Sancocho with Carne Oreada, Green Plantain and Cassava

The Colombian Ministry of Culture inventory records Sancocho criollo o llanero in Villanueva, Casanare, as a soup made with carne oreada, plantain and cassava. This short description establishes the place and defining ingredients. It does not claim that every household follows one fixed formula.

This measured home adaptation keeps those three ingredients at the centre of the pot. Beef soup bone gives the broth body, while scallion, onion, tomato and herbs add a rounded savoury base. Green cooking plantain and yuca make the soup substantial. The added broth ingredients and exact amounts are practical choices for a reproducible kitchen recipe, not a transcription of one archival household formula.

Carne oreada is dried or air-dried beef. Buy it from a reputable food retailer, follow its storage directions and keep it chilled. Because preparation and salt levels vary, taste the broth before adding salt. The soup should simmer steadily rather than boil hard once the plantain and cassava go in, so the pieces soften without breaking apart.

Ingredients

Broth and meat

3000 ml water
350 g beef soup bone
500 g commercially prepared carne oreada, cut into 4 cm pieces
120 g scallions, tied in a bundle
2 g ground cumin

Plantain and cassava

3 large green cooking plantains, about 750 g peeled, broken by hand into 5 cm pieces
600 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces

Aromatics and serving

150 g white onion, finely diced
200 g firm tomatoes, diced
5 g fresh cimarrón or culantro, chopped
10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
Cooked white rice, optional accompaniment
1 ripe avocado, sliced, optional
Ají, served separately; check package for allergens

Method

Prepare the pot. If the purchased carne oreada is visibly very salty, rinse it briefly under cold running water and pat it dry. Cut it into 4 cm pieces, using a separate board from the washed produce. Put the beef bone and water in a heavy pot of at least 6 litres. Bring to a boil and skim off any grey foam.
Simmer the beef. Add the carne oreada and tied scallions. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer. Partly cover and cook for 45–60 minutes. Check the thickest beef piece with a food thermometer; it must reach at least 70°C. Continue simmering if it remains firm. The meat should be cooked through and starting to soften before the roots are added.
Add the green plantain. Peel the plantains and break them by hand into pieces about 5 cm long. Add them to the broth and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Keep the pot at a gentle, even bubble. Turn the pieces carefully once so they cook evenly without crumbling.
Cook the cassava and aromatics. Add the peeled cassava, onion, tomato, cumin and cimarrón. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until the cassava is soft through the centre and the plantain yields easily to a fork. If the liquid falls below the ingredients, add a little hot water. Remove the scallion bundle.
Taste and serve. Taste the broth before adding salt; the carne oreada may already season it. Stir in the cilantro and remove any loose bone fragments. Divide the beef, plantain and cassava among warm bowls, then ladle over the broth. Serve rice, avocado and ají separately.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

These are approximate values based on measured ingredients and generic USDA FoodData Central composition proxies. Carne oreada varies substantially in salt and fat, so the package label may change the estimate. No extra salt is included; rice and avocado are excluded. This is not a laboratory analysis.

Equipment

Use a heavy pot of at least 6 litres, a sharp knife, cutting board, ladle and food thermometer. Keep raw or ready-to-cook meat and its utensils separate from washed produce and ready-to-eat foods. Tie the scallions into a bundle so they are easy to remove.

Practical guidance

Choose packaged carne oreada from a reputable retailer and follow the label’s storage instructions. Do not dry raw meat at home for this soup. If the purchased meat is very salty, a quick rinse can reduce surface salt, but avoid leaving it at room temperature. Use edible sweet cassava intended for cooking, peel it thoroughly, remove any woody core and cook it until soft throughout. Do not use bitter cassava unless it has been processed appropriately by a knowledgeable supplier. Wash the plantain, cassava, onion, tomatoes, herbs and avocado under clean running water. Clean the board and knife after handling meat. This recipe has no declared major allergen, but check packaged carne oreada and ají for allergens and cross-contact. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours. Keep refrigerated for 3–4 days or freeze; reheat throughout to 74°C. The optional rice and avocado are not included in the nutrition estimate.

Final notes

For balanced seasoning: Taste the broth after the beef has simmered before adding salt. For even cooking: Cut the cassava into similar-size pieces and check the largest one before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 bowls, excluding optional rice and avocado
Energy: 410 kcal
Carbohydrate: 42 g
Protein: 27 g
Fat: 15 g
Fibre: 5 g
Sodium: About 1100 mg

Llanos-Style Sancocho with Carne Oreada, Green Plantain and Cassava

Ingredients

Broth and meat

Plantain and cassava

Aromatics and serving

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Equipment

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Valle del Cauca Oxtail Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava

Atlántico Guandú Bean Sancocho with Beef Ribs, Ripe Plantain and Cassava

Colombian Goat Sancocho from Cesar with Plantain, Yuca and Regional Roots