Pique macho

Ingredients

Beef

• 700 gbeef sirloin or rump, in 3 cm cubes
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspvegetable oil

Sausage and vegetables

• 300 gfrankfurter or Vienna sausages, cut into thick diagonal slices
• 2large onions, cut into thick strips
• 2tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1red sweet pepper, in strips
• 3locoto (rocoto) chillies, seeded and sliced into rings, or 2 red chillies
• 4garlic cloves, sliced

Sauce

• 150 mlbeer or beef stock
• 2 tbspyellow mustard
• 3 tbsptomato ketchup
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspdried oregano
• ½ tspground cumin

Base and top

• 1 kgfloury potatoes, cut into thick chips
• 1 litrevegetable oil, for frying
• 4hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, to zigzag over
• 2 tbspflat parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Season the beef with salt, cumin and pepper and leave it 20 minutes at room temperature so it browns rather than steams.
2. Fry the chips in oil at 150°C (300°F) for 6 minutes until soft and pale, drain, then raise the oil to 185°C (375°F) and fry a second time for 3 minutes until crisp and golden. Salt at once and keep hot.
3. Sear the beef in the 3 tbsp of oil in a very hot wide pan, in two batches, for 3–4 minutes a batch, until well browned outside and still pink within. Set aside.
4. In the same pan fry the sausage slices 3 minutes until their cut faces are browned and slightly curled.
5. Add the onions, sweet pepper and garlic and cook 5 minutes over high heat so they soften but keep some bite — the vegetables in a pique macho should never go limp.
6. Add the locoto rings and tomato wedges, cook 2 minutes, then pour in the beer and let it bubble down by half, scraping the pan.
7. Stir in the mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire, oregano and cumin, return the beef with any resting juices, and toss for 2 minutes until everything is coated in a short, glossy sauce.
8. Pile the hot chips onto a large platter, spoon the beef mixture and all the sauce over the top so the chips underneath soak while the edges stay crisp.
9. Arrange the quartered eggs over, zigzag mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup across the whole thing, scatter the parsley, and put it in the middle of the table with forks for everyone.

Technique

• Pique macho was invented in Cochabamba in the 1970s and is a sharing dish; a single portion in Bolivia is genuinely enormous and is expected to feed two or three.
• Locoto is the defining chilli — thick-walled, fruity and fierce, with black seeds. The number of rings on top is what earns the dish the name macho.
• Assemble at the last second. The pleasure is the contrast between crisp chips, soaked chips and juicy beef, and it lasts about ten minutes.
• Do not overcook the beef. It is seared and finished in the sauce, and should still be pink inside when it hits the plate.

Substitutions

• No locoto: red jalapeño or a mix of red chilli plus a spoonful of ají amarillo paste gives roughly the right fruity heat.
• Beef stock replaces the beer perfectly well; some Cochabamba cooks use a mixture of both.

Variations

• Pique a lo macho with the addition of sliced hot dog and diced ham, the common cheap version.
• Some restaurants add a layer of melted cheese under the eggs, which is popular in La Paz and disputed in Cochabamba.

History

Cochabamba platter of beef, sausage, chips, onion, egg and locoto, created in the 1970s and named for the machismo of finishing it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pique macho?

Pique macho is a main from Bolivia: beef chunks and sausage over fries with chilies and egg, Cochabamba. Cochabamba platter of beef, sausage, chips, onion, egg and locoto, created in the 1970s and named for the machismo of finishing it.

How long does Pique macho take to make?

Pique macho takes 30 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings to share. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pique macho?

Yes, within limits. No locoto: red jalapeño or a mix of red chilli plus a spoonful of ají amarillo paste gives roughly the right fruity heat. Beef stock replaces the beer perfectly well; some Cochabamba cooks use a mixture of both.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pique macho?

Season the beef with salt, cumin and pepper and leave it 20 minutes at room temperature so it browns rather than steams.