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Shámbar
Wheat, bean and smoked pork soup
Shámbar: Trujillo's Monday soup of wheat, beans and smoked pork, finished with mint and cancha
PeruvianMondays in Trujillo mean shámbar: market stalls and huariques across the city put out pots of this thick, smoky soup of cracked wheat, chickpeas, broad beans, peas and canary beans, cooked with smoked ham hock, pork ribs and pork skin, then stirred through with a fried paste of ají panca and garlic and a handful of mint. It is earthy, porky and rib-sticking, and each bowl gets a scoop of crunchy cancha just before eating. Soak the beans and the wheat overnight. People often cook everything together from the start, and the peas turn to mush before the chickpeas soften; cook the hardest pulses first. Chef's tip: toast the wheat in a dry pan before soaking it; it gives the soup a nutty depth the locals look for.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pulses and wheat
- 5 ½ oz cracked wheat (trigo partido)or bulgur; toasted and soaked overnight
- 3 ½ oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight
- 3 ½ oz dried broad beanspeeled, soaked overnight
- 3 ½ oz dried canary or pinto beanssoaked overnight
- 2 ⅞ oz dried green split peas
For the meat
- 1 smoked ham hockabout 600 g
- 14 oz pork ribscut into pieces
- 5 ½ oz pork skin (optional)optional in the north, gives body
- 12 ½ cups water
For the seasoning
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onionfinely chopped
- 5 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tbsp ají panca paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp saltto taste; the ham is salty
- ½ oz fresh mint leaveschopped
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
To serve
- 4 oz cancha (toasted corn)or salted corn nuts
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 smoked ham hock, 14 oz pork ribs, 5 ½ oz pork skin and 12 ½ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam.
10 minStep 2: Drain 3 ½ oz dried chickpeas, 3 ½ oz dried broad beans and 3 ½ oz dried canary or pinto beans and add them to the pot. Simmer, partly covered, stirring now and then.
60 minStep 3: Drain 5 ½ oz cracked wheat (trigo partido) and add it with 2 ⅞ oz dried green split peas. Keep simmering, stirring more often now so it doesn't catch, until all the pulses are tender and the soup has thickened.
60 minStep 4: Lift out the ham hock, ribs and skin. Pull the meat off the bones, discard bones and fat and cut the meat and skin into bite-sized pieces; it should be very tender.
Step 5: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 red onion, 5 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp ají panca paste and 1 tsp ground cumin until soft and dark red.
8 minStep 6: Return the meat to the pot with the fried paste and simmer together, adding a little water if it's too thick, until everything is piping hot.
15 minStep 7: Taste and add 1 tsp salt only if needed. Stir in ½ oz fresh mint leaves and ½ oz fresh coriander off the heat.
Step 8: Ladle into bowls and scatter a big spoonful of 4 oz cancha (toasted corn) over each one at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shámbar take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 160 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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