Carapulcra

Ingredients

Potato

• 400 gpapa seca, sun-dried Andean potato

Meat

• 500 gpork shoulder, in cubes
• 300 gchicken thigh, optional
• salt and pepper

Base

• 2red onions, finely chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspají panca paste
• 1 tbspají amarillo paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 4 tbspoil

Also

• 80 groasted peanuts, ground
• 1 litrestock or water
• 2cloves
• 1cinnamon stick
• 50 gdark chocolate or a splash of red wine, optional

To serve

• white rice
• boiled potato
• sliced red onion with lime

Directions

1. Toast it until it darkens slightly and smells nutty, which takes five to ten minutes. Watch it closely and keep it moving, since it scorches quickly and burnt papa seca makes the whole pot bitter.
2. Drain it and keep the soaking water, which carries flavour and is added back to the pot. Season the pork and brown it hard in oil, in batches with space around each piece. Brown it properly, since crowded meat releases its water and stews grey, and that colour is the base of the whole stew.
3. Lift the browned meat out and set it aside for now. Fry the finely chopped red onion in the same oil for ten to fifteen minutes over a medium heat. Cook the onion until it genuinely dissolves rather than merely softening, which is the standard Peruvian approach.
4. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Now add the ají panca and ají amarillo pastes and fry them for five minutes. Add the cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Bring it to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for about an hour.
5. Stir it regularly and scrape the base, since the potato releases starch and the pot catches readily. Add more stock as it thickens, since it will absorb a surprising amount.
6. Grind the roasted peanuts finely and stir them in for the last twenty minutes. It should be thick and almost paste-like, holding its shape on a spoon rather than running.
7. Taste it and season it well with salt. Let it rest off the heat for fifteen minutes before serving. Serve it with white rice and boiled potato, and with sliced red onion dressed in lime. The sharp raw onion against a rich dark stew is the balance the plate needs.

Technique

• Papa seca is a pre-Hispanic preservation technique related to chuño.
• Toasting the dried potato before soaking is essential to the flavour.
• It is better the day after it is made.

Substitutions

• There is no substitute for papa seca in this dish.
• Chicken alone in place of pork, which is lighter.

Variations

• Carapulcra chinchana, from Chincha, made with chicken as well as pork.
• Served alongside sopa seca, which is the classic pairing.
• With more peanut, for a richer stew.

Frequently asked questions

What is Carapulcra?

Carapulcra is a main from Peru: ancient stew of sun-dried potatoes, pork and peanuts.

How long does Carapulcra take to make?

Carapulcra takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Carapulcra?

Yes, within limits. There is no substitute for papa seca in this dish. Chicken alone in place of pork, which is lighter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Carapulcra?

Toast it until it darkens slightly and smells nutty, which takes five to ten minutes. Watch it closely and keep it moving, since it scorches quickly and burnt papa seca makes the whole pot bitter.