Sándwich de chola

Ingredients

Pork

• 1.5 kgbone-in pork leg, skin on and scored
• 1 tbspcumin seeds, ground
• 1 tbspdried oregano
• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbspají colorado paste
• 2 tbspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 250 mlbeer or chicha
• 200 mlwater

Escabeche (pickled onion and carrot)

• 2red onions, sliced into fine half-moons
• 2carrots, cut into thin batons
• 1locoto chilli, sliced into rings
• 150 mlwhite vinegar
• 150 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 1bay leaf
• 1 tspdried oregano

Llajwa

• 3ripe tomatoes
• 2locoto chillies, stems removed
• 1small bunch quirquiña (or coriander leaf plus a little rocket)
• ½ tspsalt

To assemble

• 4marraquetas (crusty Bolivian rolls) or crusty white rolls, split

Directions

1. Rub the pork all over with the ground cumin, oregano, garlic, ají paste, salt and pepper, working it into the scored skin, and marinate overnight in the fridge, uncovered, so the skin dries.
2. Sit the pork in a roasting tin, pour the beer and water into the tin around it, not over the skin, and roast at 160°C (325°F) for 2 hr 30 min, basting the meat but never the skin. Raise the oven to 220°C (425°F) and roast a further 25–30 minutes until the skin has blistered into hard, glassy crackling — the cuerito — and the meat pulls apart with a fork.
3. Rest the pork 20 minutes, then carve it into thick slices and snap the crackling into shards. Split the marraquetas, keeping the hinge, and warm them so the crust is crisp.
4. Press the lid down hard, wrap the bottom in paper, and eat standing at the stall the way it is sold in La Paz.

Technique

• The sandwich is named for the cholitas, the Aymara women in bowler hats and pollera skirts who sell it from street stalls in La Paz, most famously along the Prado in the evening.
• The crackling is compulsory. A sándwich de chola without a piece of cuerito is regarded as incomplete.
• Marraqueta paceña is a crusty, hollow, twin-lobed roll baked at altitude; its shattering crust is what holds up under the wet escabeche and llajwa.
• Llajwa is never cooked and never blended smooth. Quirquiña, a pungent Andean herb, is what makes it taste Bolivian rather than Mexican.

Substitutions

• No quirquiña: use coriander leaf with a few rocket leaves for the peppery edge. It is not identical but it is the accepted substitute abroad.
• Pork shoulder can replace the leg; it is fattier and more forgiving, though the slices hold together less neatly.

Variations

• Some stalls add a slice of boiled egg or a smear of mayonnaise, which purists consider an unnecessary modern addition.
• The same pork and escabeche served on a plate with boiled potatoes and mote is called ranga or fricasé garnish in other parts of the city.

History

Sold by women in bowler hats from La Paz street stalls, mostly late at night.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sándwich de chola?

Sándwich de chola is a street food from Bolivia: crusty marraqueta filled with roast pork, pickled onion and hot llajwa. Sold by women in bowler hats from La Paz street stalls, mostly late at night.

How long does Sándwich de chola take to make?

Sándwich de chola takes 30 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 sandwiches. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Sándwich de chola?

Yes, within limits. No quirquiña: use coriander leaf with a few rocket leaves for the peppery edge. It is not identical but it is the accepted substitute abroad. Pork shoulder can replace the leg; it is fattier and more forgiving, though the slices hold together less neatly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sándwich de chola?

Sit the pork in a roasting tin, pour the beer and water into the tin around it, not over the skin, and roast at 160°C (325°F) for 2 hr 30 min, basting the meat but never the skin. Raise the oven to 220°C (425°F) and roast a further 25–30 minutes until the skin has blistered into hard, glassy crackling — the cuerito — and the meat pulls apart with a fork.