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Açorda with poached eggs, garnished with fresh cilantro and drizzled with lemon juice
Delicious Açorda with Poached Eggs

Portuguese Bread Soup with Poached Eggs (Açorda)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes
Açorda is a masterpiece of Portuguese peasant cuisine (cozinha povera), proving that stale bread, garlic, and water can make a royal feast. It's essentially a thick bread soup or porridge, brightened by herbs, with a poached egg on top that transforms into a creamy sauce when you cut into it.
🕒 Prep Time 10 mins
🍳 Cook Time 15 mins
⌛ Total Time 25 mins
🍽️ Servings 2 servings
🔥 Calories 380 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Portuguese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Mortar and pestle for the herb paste
  • Saucepan

Allergen Information

⚠️ Wheat
⚠️ Egg

Instructions

1 ✓

Mash the cilantro, garlic, and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle (or mince very finely).

Tip: Mashing releases the essential oils better than chopping.
2 ✓

Tear the bread into chunks. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and briefly sauté the cilantro-garlic paste (do not burn!).

Tip: The oil absorbs the aromatics, creating the flavor foundation.
3 ✓

Add the bread, toss to coat, then pour in the boiling water. Simmer on low heat, stirring, until it forms a porridge-like consistency.

Tip: The starch leaches out of the bread, thickening the water.
4 ✓

Meanwhile, poach the eggs: crack them into simmering (not boiling!) salted water with a splash of vinegar and cook for 3 minutes.

Tip: The acidity of the vinegar helps the egg whites set faster around the yolk.
5 ✓

Serve the hot bread porridge (açorda) in deep bowls, topped with a poached egg.

Tip: The runny yolk mixing with the garlic bread creates the perfect flavor experience.

Recipe FAQ

What bread should I use?
Definitely rustic sourdough or country white bread that is 1-2 days old. Fresh bread will turn into gummy paste.
What if the egg breaks apart?
Add a splash of vinegar to the poaching water; it helps the whites hold together.

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Stale Artisan White Bread (crustless crumb)
  • 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro (stems and all)
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 4 tbsp Good Quality Olive Oil
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 4 cups Boiling Water (or Vegetable Broth)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes (optional)