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Kak Ik, Guatemalan Turkey Soup

This is my version of the famous Guatemalan dish kak'ik, which means "red and spicy" in Mayan. I use wild turkey legs here, but store-bought are fine, too.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 285 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Guatemalan

Ingredients

TURKEY
  • 2 turkey legs, thighs and drumsticks
  • 1 quart turkey or chicken broth
  • salt
SAUCE
  • 6 plum tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 6 large tomatillos, husked and sliced in half
  • 2 dried guajillo chiles
  • 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 heads garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
  • 2 tablespoons achiote paste
TO FINISH
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh culantro or cilantro
  • masa to thicken soup (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Simmer the turkey. Put the turkey legs in a large pot with the broth, and add enough water to cover everything by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the turkey is tender, anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on the age of the bird.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce for the soup. Put the halved tomatoes, quartered onion, garlic cloves and tomatillos, cut side up, on a baking sheet and broil until partially blackened, about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't completely incinerate.
  3. Open the dried chiles and remove the seeds and stems. Pour boiling water over them in a small bowl to rehydrate while the other vegetables are charring.
  4. When the vegetables are nicely charred, remove the baking sheet from the oven and, when it's cool enough to handle, peel all the garlic; keeping the skins on in this process prevents the cloves for carbonizing. Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and puree.
  5. Pick all the meat off the turkey legs and reserve. Strain the broth; I do this by setting a fine-meshed sieve over a big bowl. No need to clarify it in this soup. Wipe out your soup bowl and add back the shredded turkey, the strained broth and the contents of the blender bowl. Tip: save back some broth to rinse out every bit of goodness from within the blender bowl. Bring all this to a simmer and let it cook 15 minutes.
  6. When you are ready to serve, stir in the minced herbs and add masa to thicken if you want. Don't add more than a tablespoon at a time, and stir it in well. Serve with rice, little masa dumplings or tortillas.

Notes

  • NOTE: You can find achiote paste in Latin markets, and in the "ethnic" section of large supermarkets. If not, look for annatto, which is the main ingredient in achiote paste. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 285kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Cholesterol 120mg (40%) Sodium 564mg (24%) Potassium 805mg (23%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 635IU (13%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Calcium 65mg (7%) Iron 3.7mg (21%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 285

% Daily Value*

Calories 285kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 35g 70%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 120mg 40%
Sodium 564mg 24%
Potassium 805mg 17%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 635IU 13%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Calcium 65mg 7%
Iron 3.7mg 21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.