Indio viejo

Ingredients

Beef

• 700 gbeef brisket or flank
• 2 litreswater
• 1onion
• 2bay leaves
• salt

Sofrito

• 100 mloil
• 1onion, chopped
• 1sweet pepper, chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, chopped
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tspachiote

Thickener

• 200 gmasa harina

To finish

• 1large bunch fresh mint
• juice of 2 sour oranges
• salt
• black pepper

To serve

• rice
• fried plantain
• tortillas

Directions

1. Boil the beef with the onion, bay leaves and salt for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until it shreds easily, and keep all the broth.
2. Keep the broth. It is the liquid of the whole dish and what the masa is loosened with, so nothing gets poured away.
3. Cool the meat and shred it finely by hand, along the grain.
4. Shred it by hand rather than chopping it. The long fibres are the texture of the dish, and a knife gives you cubes sitting in a porridge.
5. Slake the masa harina in about 500 ml of the cooled broth, whisking until completely smooth with no lumps at all.
6. Slake it in cool broth, never hot. Masa dropped into hot liquid seizes into lumps instantly and they never disperse again.
7. Fry the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil with the achiote until soft, then add the tomatoes and cook them down.
8. Add the shredded beef and turn it in the sofrito for 5 minutes.
9. Pour in the remaining broth, bring it to a simmer, then whisk in the slaked masa in a steady stream, stirring constantly.
10. Keep stirring as it thickens, for 15 to 20 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go.
11. Masa catches and scorches very readily, and a scorched pot ruins the entire batch.
12. It is done when it holds the mark of a spoon but is still loose enough to spoon rather than slice.
13. Now the mint and the sour orange, both added off the heat and in quantity.
14. Mint in a beef stew surprises everyone outside Nicaragua, and it is the defining flavour of indio viejo; with sour orange it is what separates the dish from any other masa stew.
15. Season, rest it 10 minutes, and serve with rice, fried plantain and tortillas.
16. The masa-thickened technique descends from pre-Hispanic cooking, and the name, old Indian, comes with several competing legends attached.

Technique

• Fresh masa is better than masa harina if you can get hold of it.
• It thickens further as it stands and is loosened again with broth when reheated.
• It should be the colour of terracotta from the achiote rather than brown.

Substitutions

• Lime with a little orange juice in place of sour orange.
• Polenta at a pinch, which changes the flavour noticeably.

Variations

• With much more mint, as it is made in Masaya.
• A chicken version, quicker and lighter.
• Thinned down and served as a soup.

History

Shredded beef thickened with maize dough, sour orange and mint; the masa-based technique descends from pre-Hispanic cooking.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indio viejo?

Indio viejo is a main from Nicaragua: shredded beef and corn masa stew with mint and sour orange. Shredded beef thickened with maize dough, sour orange and mint; the masa-based technique descends from pre-Hispanic cooking.

How long does Indio viejo take to make?

Indio viejo takes 20 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Indio viejo?

Yes, within limits. Lime with a little orange juice in place of sour orange. Polenta at a pinch, which changes the flavour noticeably.

What is the most important thing to get right in Indio viejo?

Keep the broth. It is the liquid of the whole dish and what the masa is loosened with, so nothing gets poured away.