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Adobo arequipeño
Marinated slow-cooked pork
Adobo arequipeño: pork marinated in chicha de jora and ají panca, slow-cooked for Sunday breakfast
On Sunday mornings in Arequipa, families head to picanterías in Cayma and Yanahuara for a steaming bowl of adobo, chunks of pork that have marinated overnight in chicha de jora (fermented maize beer), ají panca, garlic and cumin, then cooked slowly in a clay pot with thick wedges of red onion. The sauce is dark red, tangy and garlicky rather than hot, and you mop it up with pan de tres puntas, the city's triangular bread; a mug of anise tea follows. Chicha de jora contains alcohol; for an alcohol-free adobo, use the vinegar and water swap in the ingredient list, which gives the same sour edge. Boiling it hard is the classic error, as it toughens the pork; it should barely tremble under the lid. Chef's tip: marinate the pork the evening before, always in the fridge, and cook it the next morning in its marinade.
- Total time
- 170 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 ⅝ lb pork shoulder or legboneless, cut into 6 large chunks
- 2 ½ cups chicha de joraalcohol-free: 500 ml water, 100 ml apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp panela or brown sugar
- 5 tbsp ají panca pasteLatin shops
- 1 head garliccloves peeled and crushed
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
For cooking
- 3 red onionscut into thick wedges
- 1 rocoto or red chilli (optional)deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 cup water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 2 ½ cups chicha de jora, 5 tbsp ají panca paste, 1 head garlic, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp black pepper and 2 tsp salt into a smooth red marinade.
Step 2: Put 2 ⅝ lb pork shoulder or leg in a non-metallic bowl, pour over the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
Step 3: Tip the pork and all its marinade into a heavy casserole or clay pot. Add 3 red onions, 1 rocoto or red chilli, 2 bay leaves and 1 cup water.
Step 4: Bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat, then turn the heat to low, cover and cook at the gentlest simmer, turning the pork once or twice.
120 minStep 5: Uncover and cook for another 20–30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and coats the meat and the pork is tender enough to cut with a spoon; it will be far above 160°F.
25 minStep 6: Taste for salt and serve in deep bowls with plenty of sauce, onion wedges and crusty bread for dipping (use gluten-free bread if needed).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does adobo arequipeño take?
- About 170 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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