Puerto Rican Home Cooking, with Omi Hopper
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Who is Omi Hopper and what is her background in cooking and TV?
Hi Carrie. Hi Sonia.
Today we have Omi Hopper on. Omi was on next level chef. She was the runner-up, and she's also a wildly popular TikTok and YouTube creator. And she shares incredible Puerto Rican cooking and recipes, blending tradition with everyday accessibility. She is such a delight to talk to.
She also has a lot of great tips for home cooks how to use your pantry, how to get quick weeknight meals onto the table, because she's also a parent of four, and the reality of feeding a lot of people every day is something that many of us face.
She's shared so many great recipes. We link them in our show notes. You can always find all the recipes from each show in our show notes, but you can also get them through our Substack every Wednesday. You can subscribe at foodfriendspodcast.substack dot com. Stay tuned to hear a conversation with Omi Hopper. Welcome to Food Friends, a podcast inspiring home cooks to try new dishes in the kitchen by sharing trusted recipes, tips, and friendship.
Hi, I'm Sonia. And I'm Carrie. We met in Los Angeles over 15 years ago as personal chefs and haven't stopped talking about food since. We're so glad you're here.
Hi Carrie. Hi Omi. Thank you so much for having me.
Omi, we always start by asking, what did you eat for lunch today?
Oof, I had a chorizo Mozambique egg and cheese sandwich from a Portuguese bakery near me. Wow.
Wow. Can you tell us a little bit more?
Yeah, so the the chorizo it's like a chorizo sausage in a Mozambique sauce, which is kind of like a red, a little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty type of sauce. And the bread that they're using is almost like a sweet bread. So it's it's delicious. It with the egg and cheese, it's I mean, forget our bacon, egg and cheese. You want
that. Sounds so flavorful and so just like hidden the spot in the middle of your day. Oh yes. Congratulations on your new book, Cooking Con Omi, A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking. It is so gorgeous. I am So excited to try so many of these recipes. One thing that struck us is that you describe the book as a way of staying connected to Puerto Rico after having moved to the mainland. For listeners who may be unfamiliar with Puerto Rican cooking, how would you describe the cuisine? And what's one dish that you think every single person needs to try for themselves?
You know, uh Puerto Rican food to me has always felt like home, right? But beyond that, every time I go back home, every time I go to Puerto Rico, whether it's visit my grandmother, visit my my aunts, visit my mom, who's-I mean, I have everyone over there. It's so comforting. We have the best of all the worlds, right?
What does Omi say about the flavors and comfort of Puerto Rican cuisine?
We have our African roots, our Spaniard roots, our you know, Taino roots. Somehow we managed to make the best out of very simple ingredients and things that really grow in our yard, right? So you've got plantains, you've got green bananas, you've got yucca roots, you've got malanga roots, you've got all these amazing vegetables. And you could pretty much boil, fry, bake. You could do anything with them that you want to that you want to make. So they're very fun to work with, but they're very hearty and they really touch the soul.
Is there just one dish you're like, if you've never had the most amazing, comforting Puerto Rican food, you have to try this?
I think there are two answers that I like to give because there's the one answer that I know is what any palate will be able to say, yes, this is amazing. But then there is the other dish that you only know if you either grew up in the island or if you grew up having that type of food. So my the the main one for me is beyond bacalao, which is the root vegetables boiled with a salted cod. In a vinaigrette with like peppers and onions and it is absolutely delicious. But it sometimes could be an acquired taste because not everyone loves salted cod. But if I had one that I could share with everyone, it would be a rocon gandulis, which is your you know roasted pork shoulder. That is going to be a crowd pleaser with everybody.
That sounds so good. Omi, you've grown a huge following on social media on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Who is Omi Hopper and what is her background in cooking and TV?
0:00–2:52
2
What does Omi say about the flavors and comfort of Puerto Rican cuisine?
2:52–7:33
3
Which Puerto Rican dish does Omi recommend as a must‑try for newcomers?
7:33–15:27
4
How does Omi make her fresh sofrito and why is it a kitchen essential?
15:27–20:02
5
What is Omi’s homemade sazón blend and how can home cooks customize it?
20:02–26:59
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy
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