Choncholí

Ingredients

Intestine

• 1.5 kgbeef small intestine
• coarse salt, for scrubbing
• 500 mlvinegar
• juice of 6 limes
• flour, for scrubbing
• milk, for soaking, optional

Marinade

• 4 tablespoonsaji panca paste
• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoonsred wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoonsground cumin
• 1 tablespoondried oregano
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 4 tablespoonsoil

To serve

• boiled potatoes
• boiled corn on the cob
• aji sauce
• wooden skewers

Directions

1. Turn each length completely inside out. Work under running cold water throughout. Rub it hard with plenty of coarse salt. Flour lifts residue that salt alone leaves. Rinse it and repeat the whole process.
2. Cover the cleaned intestine with vinegar and water. Add the juice of several limes. Leave it to soak for at least two hours. Rinse it thoroughly afterwards. It should smell clean and faintly of lime. Put the cleaned intestine in a pot of water.
3. Add a splash of vinegar and some salt. Bring it to a boil and skim the foam. Simmer it for about thirty minutes. Drain it and let it cool down.
4. Cut the intestine into lengths. Aim for pieces about fifteen centimetres. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Put the cut intestine in a bowl. Pour the marinade over all of it. Work it in with your hands thoroughly.
5. Cover it and refrigerate it now. Give it at least four full hours. Soak wooden skewers in water first. That stops them burning on the grill.
6. Thread the lengths onto the skewers. Pack them fairly tightly together. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Oil the grill bars before the skewers go on. Lay the skewers over the coals. Cooking them is fast and needs attention. Turn them over regularly as they cook.
7. Baste them with the leftover marinade. They should char and blister at the edges. Serve them straight off the skewer. Put a bowl of aji sauce on the table. They must be eaten straight away.

Technique

• Choncholi belongs to the Afro-Peruvian offal cooking that grew in Lima’s old Malambo quarter, where offal cuts were what was available.
• The cleaning is the most demanding part of the dish and cannot be shortened, since nothing later in the recipe will fix it.
• Aji panca is a dark smoky Peruvian chilli sold as a paste, and is the backbone of both this marinade and that for anticuchos.

Substitutions

• Pre-cleaned intestine from a specialist butcher saves a great deal of work.
• Anticuchos, made with beef heart, use the same marinade and are far simpler to prepare.

Variations

• Some cooks braid the lengths before skewering them.
• A version with more chilli in the marinade is made for those who want heat.
• Anticuchos and mollejitas are grilled alongside at the same night stalls.

History

Sold at the same night grills as anticuchos, part of the Afro-Peruvian offal cooking of Lima’s old Malambo quarter.

Frequently asked questions

What is Choncholí?

Choncholí is a street food from Peru: grilled beef intestine skewers, charred crisp, eaten with potato. Sold at the same night grills as anticuchos, part of the Afro-Peruvian offal cooking of Lima’s old Malambo quarter.

How long does Choncholí take to make?

Choncholí takes 1 hour plus marinating of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Choncholí?

Yes, within limits. Pre-cleaned intestine from a specialist butcher saves a great deal of work. Anticuchos, made with beef heart, use the same marinade and are far simpler to prepare.

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

Turn each length completely inside out. Work under running cold water throughout. Rub it hard with plenty of coarse salt. Flour lifts residue that salt alone leaves. Rinse it and repeat the whole process.