Anticucho

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 kgbeef heart, trimmed of fat, sinew and membrane, in 3 cm cubes
• 4 tbspají panca paste
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 80 mlred wine vinegar
• 1 tbspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspvegetable oil

Peanut sauce

• 150 groasted peanuts
• 2 tbspají amarillo paste
• 1 clovegarlic
• 120 mlevaporated milk
• 1 tbspoil
• salt, to taste

To serve

• 4waxy potatoes, boiled and halved
• 1corn cob, boiled and cut into rounds
• wooden skewers, soaked 30 minutes

Directions

1. Trim the heart properly: peel away the outer membrane, cut out the hard white sinew and any fat. This is most of the work, and untrimmed heart is chewy in a way no marinade fixes.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients and turn the cubes through it until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight for a deeper colour.
3. Blend the peanuts, ají amarillo, garlic, evaporated milk and oil to a thick pourable sauce, thinning with a little water if needed. Season with salt.
4. Thread three or four cubes onto each soaked skewer, packed close but not crushed, and let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes.
5. Grill over hot charcoal for 5–7 minutes, turning every 90 seconds and brushing with leftover marinade, until charred at the edges and just pink inside. Heart is lean and turns to leather if cooked through.
6. Serve two skewers a person with a boiled potato half and a round of corn, with the peanut sauce spooned over or alongside.

Technique

• Beef heart is muscle, not offal in the soft sense — it should be treated like a lean steak, cooked hot and fast and served pink.
• Ají panca is dark, mild and fruity; ají amarillo is bright and hotter. They are not interchangeable and the dish uses both for different jobs.
• Soak the skewers, or they burn through and drop the meat into the coals.

Substitutions

• Sirloin or rump cubes for anyone unwilling to eat heart, marinated identically.
• A mix of smoked paprika and a little chipotle stands in for ají panca at a pinch.

Variations

• Anticuchos de pollo, made with chicken thigh, common at Bolivian night stalls.
• A Peruvian version served with a fried potato (papa dorada) instead of boiled.

History

Beef-heart skewers grilled at night stalls with a boiled potato and peanut sauce, a tradition shared with Peru.

Frequently asked questions

What is Anticucho?

Anticucho is a street food from Bolivia: beef-heart skewers with potato and spicy peanut sauce, night grills. Beef-heart skewers grilled at night stalls with a boiled potato and peanut sauce, a tradition shared with Peru.

How long does Anticucho take to make?

Anticucho takes 30 min plus 4 hr marinating of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings, 12 skewers. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Anticucho?

Yes, within limits. Sirloin or rump cubes for anyone unwilling to eat heart, marinated identically. A mix of smoked paprika and a little chipotle stands in for ají panca at a pinch.

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

Soak the skewers, or they burn through and drop the meat into the coals.