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1
Marinate the Pork
15 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Mix the chicha de jora, aji panca paste, crushed garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the pork chunks and turn them until evenly coated in the deep-red marinade. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Overnight in the fridge is the traditional way and gives a deeper flavour — bring the pork back to room temperature before browning.
Done when: The pork is evenly coated in the red marinade.
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2
Brown the Pork
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Lift the pork out of the marinade and set the marinade aside — do not throw it away. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the pork for 2–3 minutes per side until it has a dark crust.
Do not crowd the pot — brown in two batches if needed so the meat sears instead of steaming.
Done when: The pork is browned on all sides with a dark crust.
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3
Soften the Onion and Rocoto
8 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
In the same pot, fry the onion strips and rocoto for 5 minutes until the onion softens, then stir in the bay leaves and fry for 1 minute more.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as the onion cooks — that is where the flavour lives.
Done when: The onion is soft and golden at the edges.
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4
Braise Low and Slow
55 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Return the pork to the pot, pour in the reserved marinade and the water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 55 minutes, turning the pork once halfway, until the meat is tender.
Keep the simmer gentle — hard boiling toughens the pork and clouds the sauce.
Done when: The pork yields easily to a fork and its centre is at least 63°C (145°F).
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5
Add the Sweet Potato
22 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Add the sweet potato chunks, pushing them down into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 22 minutes until the camote is tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
Stir gently and rarely once the sweet potato goes in, so the chunks stay whole.
Done when: The sweet potato is soft all the way through and the sauce coats a spoon.
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6
Rest and Serve
5 Mins
Off the heat (stew ~85°C / 185°F)
Turn off the heat and rest the stew for 5 minutes. Fish out the bay leaves, taste and adjust the salt, then serve in deep bowls with pan de tres puntas on the side.
The short rest lets the sauce settle and the flavours come together before serving.
Done when: The stew is steaming, glossy and deep red, with tender pork and whole sweet potato.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the stew for 5 minutes off the heat, fish out the bay leaves, and serve in deep bowls with pan de tres puntas on the side for scooping up the sauce. Spoon extra sauce over each portion — it is the best part.
Peru
35m
