Jocón

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.5 kgchicken pieces, on the bone
• 1onion, halved
• 3garlic cloves
• 1bay leaf
• salt
• water, to cover

Green base

• 600 gtomatillos, husked
• 4spring onions
• 1green pepper
• 2garlic cloves
• 1or 2 green chillies, to taste

Herbs

• a large bunch of coriander, about 60 g
• a small bunch of flat parsley
• 6mint leaves, if wanted

Thickener

• 60 gpumpkin seeds, hulled
• 30 gsesame seeds
• 2corn tortillas, torn

To finish

• 2 tbspoil
• salt

To serve

• white rice
• warm corn tortillas

Directions

1. Put the chicken pieces in a large pot with the halved onion and garlic. Add the bay leaf and a good pinch of salt. Cover with cold water by about three centimetres. Bring it slowly to a simmer and skim off the foam that rises.
2. Simmer it gently for thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Do not boil it hard, since that toughens the meat. Lift the chicken out and set it aside. Strain the stock and keep it, since the sauce is built on it. Heat a dry pan over a medium heat.
3. Toast the pumpkin seeds, shaking the pan constantly. They will puff and pop within three or four minutes. Tip them out the moment they turn golden, since they burn fast. Toast the sesame seeds in the same pan for two minutes. Toast the torn tortilla pieces until they are dry and lightly coloured. Let everything cool completely. Grind the toasted seeds and tortilla to a fine powder in a grinder.
4. Rinse the sticky coating off the husked tomatillos. Char the tomatillos, spring onions, green pepper, garlic and chillies in a dry pan. Turn them until they are blackened in patches and softened through. This takes about ten minutes over a medium-high heat.
5. Let them cool for a few minutes. Put the charred vegetables in a blender with a ladleful of stock. Add the coriander, parsley and mint, stems and all. Use the coriander stems, since they carry more flavour than the leaves. Blend it to a smooth bright green purée. Add the ground seed and tortilla powder and blend again. Now cooking the sauce, which must be quick and watched.
6. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat. Pour in the blended sauce and stand back, since it will spit. Cook it for ten minutes, stirring constantly. Do not overcook it, since prolonged cooking turns it olive brown. Season it well with salt and taste it. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them in the sauce.
7. Simmer them gently for fifteen minutes so they take up the flavour. Keep the heat low and the lid off. Add more stock if the sauce tightens too far. Taste it once more and adjust the salt. Now the finished colour, which tells you if it worked. Spoon the chicken and sauce into shallow bowls. Serve white rice alongside rather than under it. Pass warm corn tortillas to scoop up the sauce.

Technique

• Do not overcook the sauce after blending, since long cooking turns the green olive brown.
• Toast the pumpkin seeds only to golden, as they burn within seconds.
• Use the coriander stems, which carry more flavour than the leaves.

Substitutions

• Green tomatoes with a squeeze of lime, if tomatillos are unavailable.
• Sunflower seeds in place of some of the pumpkin seeds.

Variations

• Made with turkey, which is traditional for festivals.
• With potatoes added to the sauce.
• Hotter, with more green chilli blended in.

History

Highland Maya green stew of chicken in tomatillo, cilantro and pumpkin seed; recognised with pepian and kak’ik as national cultural heritage in 2007.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jocón?

Jocón is a soup & stew from Guatemala: chicken stewed in green tomatillo-cilantro sauce. Highland Maya green stew of chicken in tomatillo, cilantro and pumpkin seed; recognised with pepian and kak’ik as national cultural heritage in 2007.

How long does Jocón take to make?

Jocón takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Jocón?

Yes, within limits. Green tomatoes with a squeeze of lime, if tomatillos are unavailable. Sunflower seeds in place of some of the pumpkin seeds.

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

Simmer it gently for thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Do not boil it hard, since that toughens the meat. Lift the chicken out and set it aside. Strain the stock and keep it, since the sauce is built on it. Heat a dry pan over a medium heat.