AI-generated image
Frito pastuso
Fried pork with potatoes and mote
Frito pastuso: Pasto's crisp fried pork with boiled potatoes, mote and peanut sauce
In Pasto and the high Nariño towns close to Ecuador, frito pastuso is a weekend plate found at market counters and family lunches: chunks of pork leg simmered with garlic and cumin until the water evaporates, then fried in their own fat until browned and crisp at the edges, served with small boiled yellow potatoes, mote (white hominy), toasted corn and a smooth ají de maní, the region's peanut and chilli sauce. The pork is salty and crusty, the potatoes soft, and the peanut sauce brings a gentle heat. Contains peanuts. The mistake people make is cutting the pork too small, so it dries out before it browns; keep the chunks generous, about 4 cm. Chef's tip: marinate the pork overnight in the fridge; the garlic and cumin get right into the meat and the fried edges caramelise better.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pork
- 2 ¼ lb pork leg or shouldercut into 4 cm chunks, with some fat
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
For the sides
- 1 ¾ lb small yellow potatoespapa amarilla or small waxy potatoes, scrubbed
- 14 oz cooked white hominy (mote)drained, tinned
For the ají de maní
- 2 ⅞ oz roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 fresh red chilliseeded
- 1 spring onionfinely chopped
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
- ½ tsp salt
To serve
- 2 ⅞ oz toasted corn kernels (maíz tostado) (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss 2 ¼ lb pork leg or shoulder with 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 tsp salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
5 minStep 2: Put the pork and 2 cups water in a wide, heavy pan. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat and simmer uncovered for 35–40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the fat starts to sizzle.
40 minStep 3: Keep frying in the rendered fat over a medium heat for 15–20 minutes, turning, until the pork is browned and crisp on the edges and reads 160°F in the centre of the thickest chunk.
18 minStep 4: Meanwhile, boil 1 ¾ lb small yellow potatoes in salted water for 15–20 minutes, until tender. Warm 14 oz cooked white hominy (mote) in a small pan with a splash of water.
20 minStep 5: For the sauce, blend 2 ⅞ oz roasted unsalted peanuts, 1 fresh red chilli, 1 spring onion, ¾ cup water and ½ tsp salt to a smooth, pourable paste. Stir in ⅓ oz fresh coriander.
5 minStep 6: Serve the pork with the potatoes, hominy and 2 ⅞ oz toasted corn kernels (maíz tostado), with the ají de maní spooned over the potatoes or on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 56 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 37 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does frito pastuso take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian