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Fricasé paceño
Spicy pork stew with chuño
Fricasé paceño: La Paz's spicy pork stew with yellow chilli, chuño and white corn
On Sunday mornings in La Paz, after a long night out or simply because it is cold, people head to the comedores for fricasé: a pork stew of ribs and shoulder in a yellow broth of ají amarillo, cumin and black pepper, with chuño (freeze-dried potato) and big white corn kernels in each bowl. This recipe is made with pork. Many cooks thicken it with breadcrumbs; we use ground chuño or cornflour so it stays gluten free. The usual mistake is boiling it hard, which makes the pork stringy; it should barely tremble. Chef's tip: soak the chuño overnight and squeeze it in several changes of water, which removes its earthy bitterness.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb pork ribscut into single ribs
- 1 ½ lb pork shouldercut into 5 cm chunks
- 2.5 litres water
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornflouror ground chuño, mixed with a little water
To serve
- 10 ½ oz chuño (freeze-dried potato)soaked overnight, or small waxy potatoes
- 3 spring onions (optional)sliced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb pork ribs and 1 ½ lb pork shoulder in a large pot with 2.5 litres water and bring to the boil. Skim off the grey foam until the liquid is clear.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions until golden, then add 6 garlic cloves, 4 tbsp yellow chilli paste (ají amarillo), 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp dried oregano and fry for 2 minutes.
12 minStep 3: Stir the chilli mixture and 2 tsp salt into the pot, lower the heat and simmer very gently, partly covered, until the pork comes away easily from the rib bones, about 1¾ hours.
105 minStep 4: While it cooks, squeeze 10 ½ oz chuño (freeze-dried potato) and rinse in several changes of water, then boil in fresh water for 20 minutes until tender. If using potatoes, boil them in their skins.
20 minStep 5: Stir 2 tbsp cornflour into the stew and simmer for 5 minutes until the broth is slightly thickened and glossy. Check the shoulder is tender; it must reach at least 160°F, which it will long before this.
5 minStep 6: Add 1 ⅛ lb cooked white corn (mote) or hominy to heat through for 5 minutes. Serve in deep bowls with chuño, a few ribs and chunks of shoulder in each, scattered with 3 spring onions.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fricasé paceño take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 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.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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