My name is Layla Pujol, my family and friends call me Laylita. I was born in Vilcabamba, Ecuador and currently live in Luxembourg. I spent several years in the US, both in Austin and in Seattle, and our family recently moved to Europe. My recipes are inspired mainly by traditional Ecuadorian dishes that I grew up eating in Ecuador. However, my love of food – and therefore the recipes posted here – go beyond Ecuador and include anything from Latin America, my mom’s spicy New Mexican cooking, my grandmother’s homemade Southwestern dishes and Texas style BBQ, my husband’s (and his family’s) delicious French food, new dishes introduced by my amazing group of international friends, and of course the great variety of seafood, vegetables and fruits available in the Pacific Northwest.
I am currently working on my first cookbook, which will focus on delicious Ecuadorian recipes (adapted to my style, of course!).
The longer version of my story
My approach to cooking and general instructions for using this site
Additional contact information
Photo and content use
Recipe development, product reviews, disclosure, and advertising
Privacy policy
If you have any questions or comments you can leave them in the comment section, or you can email me directly layla at laylita dot com
I’ve been following your blog for a while now — found it at the From Argentina with Love blogroll, but haven’t made my way to your About page until now. Your site is great and I look forward to more posts.
Hey Layla!
I’ve been to Vilcabamba! I studied in Ecuador about 10 years ago and I found your site while searching for a recipe for Empanadas de verdes, which was one of my favorite foods while I was there. Muy ricas!
Thanks for the recipe, I will let you know how they turn out . . . i am clueless on the aji front.
Hola, Laylita
I can’t tell you how excited I was to find your website! I was also born in Ecuador (Quito), but moved to the U.S. when I was ten, and then to Seattle in the mid-’90s. I have been looking for Ecuadorian food in this city forever and have had no luck. Do you know of any restaurants that serve Ecuadorian – style ceviche (de camarones!), or maybe humitas? I think I’ll have to try half these recipes! It will be nice to get more of a taste of home here in my own kitchen.
¡Muchisimas gracias, Laylita!
Kathryn
Hola Laylita,
Gracias por las recetas serranas!!! I lived in Cuenca for several months with a host family while I was studying there, and I really miss the food. Just tonight my husband and I made mote pillo, and I felt like I was right back with my host parents and host brothers, enjoying some mote pillo in front of a dubbed movie on a Saturday night. :) My husband has also spent some time in Cuenca (we actually went to Quito and Cuenca for our honeymoon this summer!), but he had never eaten mote pillo … I was glad to introduce him to it! One of my other comfort foods from my time in the Sierra is locro de papas … that is how I found your website, and I am so excited to make the locro soon!
Gracias nuevamente por las recetas fantasticas y las fotos maravillosas!!!
Brittany
Hi Laylita… I just wanted to thank you for posting such a great site. I recently got back from spending 2 years in Ecuador as a volunteer (I didn’t get sick from the food on the streets either)and have had these habas that I brought home and have been saving for a good occasion. Your site was so helpful and seeing all these Ecaudorian recipes puts such a big smile on my face. Thanks!
Hi Laylita…I saw that you linked my blog here, and so I decided to check your blog too. You have wonderful and interesting recipes! not to mention what a beautiful family you have. May I link back your blog? I have to come back and read some more! :)
Hi Eliza – Thank you for your comment, I love your blog and would be flattered if you link back. Thanks!
Hi Laylita.. I enjoyed reading you recipes!!! It’s so surprising to find a web page full of Ecuadorian food, since I am Ecuadorian. I currently live in California.. but I go to Guayaquil-Ecuador very often since my family lives there. I was wondering if you got a recipe for Estofado de Pollo, and Arroz con Pollo. I love cooking!! I graduated from a culinary school but I mostly learned to cook American and European food, now I am trying to have my husband taste the Ecuadorian fllavor.. could you help me with those?? Thanks!!
Hi Belen – Thank you! Arroz con pollo is coming soon, we’ve been testing it these past weeks (I love testing food).
Hi Layla! I wanted to let you know that I recently cooked an Ecuadoran meal for a grad student in my department who is from Ecuador – he actually linked me to your recipes when I asked him what I should make and I posted about it earlier today. I really loved the meal he chose from your site and wanted to let you know! Oh, and he loved it also. I was definitely getting two thumbs up from him!
Hi HoneyB – Your meal looks great, I definitely recommend trying the guatita (tripe dish) next time – trust me it is amazing!
Hola Laylita,
I lived in Guayaquil and some smaller towns in the provinces of Los Rios and Manabi for several years, but haven’t been back since 2002. From time to time I’ve searched for recipes from Ecuador, but I have never found any success. Your website is a true gem. My wife laughs at how excited I get just seeing the photos of encebollado, ceviche, arroz con menestra, and other dishes that I haven’t tasted or even seen for over a half a decade. We will definitely be trying some of these recipes in our home.
Also, I can’t help but ask if you have a recipe for arroz con pollo? I saw a recipe for arroz con camarones–which is of course similar, and to which I could just make some modifications–but there were many days in Ecuador when a simple arroz con pollo really hit the spot. I know it is a fairly simply recipe with egg and shredded chicken, but that’s about all I can remember! Either way, thank you so much. I cannot express how much finding this website has brightened my day, and I look forward to more recipes in the future.
Sincerely,
Ecuasteve
Dallas, Texas
Hi Ecuasteve – Thank you for visiting my website, I’m happy that you like it. The arroz con pollo that you are describing almost sounds like a chaulafan de pollo – which is an Ecuadorian version of chicken fried rice. There are a lot of variations of arroz con pollo througout Ecuador and I have it on my list of things to post by the end of the year and will do so as soon as I can document/test the recipe.
Hola que tal, me escanta haber encontrado tu webside tu no sabes lo feliz que me has hecho porque me facina cocinar siempre ando inventando platillos nuevos y tengo ya se me ha olvidado lo que mi querida tia me enseno en Ecuador, Guayaquil. que felicidad no lo puedo creer me encanta tu pagina VIVA ECUADOR… felicidades