Ingredients
Lupin beans
- 600 gprepared chochos, debittered lupin beans
- cold water, for rinsing
The ceviche
- 4tomatoes, chopped small
- 2red onions, thinly sliced
- juice of 6 limes
- 200 mltomato juice or blended tomato
- a large handful of coriander, chopped
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoonoil
Sometimes added
- 1aji chilli, chopped
- 1 tablespoonmustard
- a splash of orange juice
To serve
- chifles, thin plantain chips
- tostado, toasted maize
- cueritos or chicharron, pork rind
- hot sauce
Directions
- Drain the chochos from their brine. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Taste one before you go any further. It should taste mild and slightly nutty. Slice the red onions as thinly as you can. Now rinse the sliced onion in cold water.
- Squeeze it dry between your hands. Chop the tomatoes small and even. Chop the fresh coriander finely. Squeeze the limes into a large bowl. Add the tomato juice or blended tomato.
- Add the salt, pepper and the oil. Add the mustard if you are using it. Whisk it all together thoroughly. Add the rinsed chochos to the dressing.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sliced onion. Stir in most of the chopped coriander. Fold everything together gently.
- Taste it and adjust the lime and the salt. It should be sharp, fresh and well seasoned. Cover it and refrigerate it for twenty minutes. The beans take up the dressing as they sit.
- Spoon it into cups or shallow bowls. Scatter the remaining coriander over. Pile chifles on top of each portion. Chifles are very thin fried plantain chips.
- Add tostado, the toasted maize kernels. Add pieces of pork rind if you eat them. Put a bowl of hot sauce on the table. It keeps a day refrigerated but softens.
Technique
- Raw lupin beans contain bitter quinolizidine alkaloids that are genuinely toxic, and poisonings from insufficiently debittered lupin are documented.
- Lupin is a recognised allergen and people allergic to peanuts often react to it, since both are legumes with cross-reacting proteins.
- Prepared chochos are sold ready debittered and are what nearly everyone uses, since home debittering takes days of constant water changing.
Substitutions
- Tinned or jarred lupini beans from Italian or Portuguese shops are the same product.
- Tortilla chips or crisps stand in for chifles if plantain chips are unavailable.
Variations
- Some carts add a spoonful of mustard to the dressing.
- A version with more tomato juice is served almost as a soup.
- Chochos also go into salads and are eaten plain with salt and lime.
History
A highland street snack sold from carts; the chochos are debittered by days of soaking in running water.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ceviche de chochos?
Ceviche de chochos is a street food from Ecuador: lupin beans in lime and tomato with plantain chips and pork rind. A highland street snack sold from carts; the chochos are debittered by days of soaking in running water.
How long does Ceviche de chochos take to make?
Ceviche de chochos takes 30 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ceviche de chochos?
Yes, within limits. Tinned or jarred lupini beans from Italian or Portuguese shops are the same product. Tortilla chips or crisps stand in for chifles if plantain chips are unavailable.
