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Seco de chabelo
Plantain mash with dried beef
Seco de chabelo: Piura's mash of roasted green plantain with dried beef, tomato and onion
Piura's picanterías, near the dry northern border, serve this rough, savoury mash at lunch: green plantains, roasted or boiled and pounded, mixed with fried strips of carne seca (salted dried beef) and a quick sofrito of onion, tomato and ají amarillo. It is dense, salty and smoky, with the plantain's starchy sweetness, and is eaten with salsa criolla and fried ripe plantain or chifles (plantain crisps). The legend says it was invented for a soldier called Chabelo in the War of the Pacific. Use carne seca or cecina from Latin shops, or unseasoned beef jerky. Pounding the plantains smooth is the classic mistake: chabelo should be lumpy and rustic. Chef's tip: soak the dried beef in warm water for 30 minutes and taste a piece; if it's still very salty, change the water and soak again.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz carne seca or cecina (dried beef)or unseasoned beef jerky
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 red onionsfinely chopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp saltonly if needed
To serve
- 1 bowl salsa criolla (optional)
- 3 ½ oz chifles (plantain crisps) (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 10 ½ oz carne seca or cecina (dried beef) in warm water, changing the water once if it tastes very salty, until softened.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile, peel 4 green plantains, cut into large chunks and boil until very tender. Drain.
25 minStep 3: Drain the beef, pat dry and roast or grill over a high heat until browned at the edges. Shred into thin strips.
6 minStep 4: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the beef strips until crisp at the edges. Lift out.
4 minStep 5: Fry 2 red onions and 3 garlic cloves in the same pan until soft, then add 3 tomatoes, 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste and ½ tsp ground cumin and cook until thick and jammy.
10 minStep 6: Add the hot plantains and roughly crush them into the sofrito with a fork or pestle, leaving plenty of lumps.
Step 7: Fold in the beef, check for ½ tsp salt and fry for a few minutes until hot through and lightly golden underneath.
4 minStep 8: Serve with 1 bowl salsa criolla and 3 ½ oz chifles (plantain crisps).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does seco de chabelo take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 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 red onions?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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