The creamy Colombian soup that J. Kenji López-Alt has for breakfast

Most Americans associate breakfast with pancakes, fries, and scrambled eggs, but J. Kenji López-Alt often goes beyond that. He occasionally makes breakfast burritos and eggs Benedict on his YouTube channel, though more frequently he explores breakfasts from other cuisines, such as Turkish menemen or Mexican chilaquiles.

Of all the breakfasts he's tried, his favorite is tamago gohan, a kind of Japanese carbonara that his mother used to make for him as a child. Changua is a close second, although he never made it until he met his Colombian wife.

Changua begins with a simple broth of milk and water, to which salt, pepper, and scallions are added. When the broth boils, eggs are cracked on top, and once poached, the soup is covered with slices of bread, cheese, and cilantro. Stale bread is often used, although some recipes recommend almojábana, a type of corn and cheese bread.

Although it's a typical breakfast dish, Colombians eat it at any time of day. This soup originated in the colder regions of the Andes Mountains as a way to stay warm.

López-Alt cooks a lot of Colombian food and visits the country frequently because of his wife, Adri, who is from the region where changua is made. However, she doesn't like the soup's flavor or texture. López-Alt learned to make it from Adri's aunt, as he shared in a YouTube video. Although many recipes use butter, potatoes, and broth, he sticks to what he was taught and uses only milk and water.

Contrary to tradition, it leaves the egg yolks runny instead of cooking them completely. When serving, the almojábana goes at the bottom of the bowl and the soup is poured over it.