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Indio viejo
Shredded beef in corn masa sauce
Indio viejo: Nicaraguan shredded beef stewed in a corn masa sauce
Masaya and Granada both claim indio viejo, a thick, tangy stew of shredded beef cooked into a sauce of corn masa, tomato, sweet pepper and achiote, sharpened with sour orange and scented with mint. It has the texture of a savoury porridge and is eaten for lunch with white rice and fried ripe plantain. The mistake that ruins it is tipping masa straight into the hot pot, where it forms lumps; whisk it into broth first. Chef's tip: add the sour orange juice only in the last few minutes, so it stays bright and fresh rather than flat.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beef
- 1 ¾ lb beef flank or brisketin 2–3 large pieces
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 onionhalved
- 3 cloves garliclightly crushed
- 4 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 green pepperfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tbsp achiote paste
- 5 ½ oz masa harina
- ½ cup sour orange juiceor 80 ml orange juice plus 40 ml lime juice
- ⅓ oz fresh mint leaveschopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb beef flank or brisket, 6 ¼ cups water, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh mint and half of ¾ tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef pulls apart easily with two forks.
75 minStep 2: Lift out the beef and shred it finely. Strain and keep the broth; you need about 1 litre.
Step 3: Whisk 5 ½ oz masa harina into 500 ml of the warm broth until completely smooth, with no dry lumps.
Step 4: Warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large, heavy pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 2 cloves garlic for 6 minutes. Add 3 tomatoes and 1 tbsp achiote paste and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes collapse.
11 minStep 5: Pour in the masa mixture and the remaining 500 ml of broth, whisking. Bring to a gentle bubble and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until thick like porridge and no longer tasting of raw flour.
10 minStep 6: Stir in the shredded beef, ½ tsp black pepper and the rest of ¾ tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes more, adding a splash of broth if it gets too stiff to stir.
5 minStep 7: Stir in ½ cup sour orange juice and ⅓ oz fresh mint leaves, simmer for 1 minute and serve hot with rice and fried ripe plantain.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does indio viejo take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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