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1
Toast and Soak the Papa Seca
15 Mins • Hands On + Overnight Soak
Dry pan, medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
The night before cooking, toast the dried potatoes in a dry frying pan, shaking the pan, for 4–5 minutes until they smell nutty and darken a shade. Tip into a bowl, cover with cold water to twice their volume, and leave overnight. Drain before cooking.
Toasting first wakes up the potato's earthy flavour — soaked without toasting, the stew tastes flat.
Done when: The potatoes have swelled to about twice their size and yield when pressed.
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2
Brown the Pork
10 Mins • Hands On
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (355°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and brown the pork cubes in batches, turning them until every side is deep golden. Lift them out and set aside — the browned bits left in the pot are flavour for the sauce.
Brown in batches: a crowded pot steams the meat grey instead of browning it.
Done when: Every cube is browned on all sides; the pot bottom is coated in golden fond.
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3
Fry the Onion, Garlic and Chili Pastes
8 Mins • Hands On
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
In the same pot, cook the onion for 4–5 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic, cumin and black pepper and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the aji panca and aji amarillo pastes and fry for 2 minutes more, scraping up the browned bits, until the mixture smells smoky and looks a deep brick red.
Frying the pastes in oil, not water, is what turns their raw heat into a round, smoky flavour.
Done when: The onion is soft, the pastes are dark and fragrant, and oil glistens at the edges.
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4
Simmer the Stew
60 Mins • Simmering
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F); pork cooked to at least 74°C (165°F)
Return the pork to the pot with the drained papa seca, the cloves and the cinnamon stick. Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a gentle simmer, cover loosely, and cook for about 1 hour, stirring now and then and adding a splash of hot water if it gets too thick. The potatoes should be soft and the pork should fall apart at a touch.
Keep the simmer lazy — a hard boil breaks the potatoes to mush and clouds the sauce.
Done when: The potatoes are soft, the pork is tender enough to shred with a spoon, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
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5
Stir in Peanuts, Chocolate and Wine
10 Mins • Hands On
Low heat, about 90°C (195°F)
Stir in the ground peanuts and cook for 5 minutes — the sauce will thicken and turn glossy. Add the chopped chocolate and the port wine, stir until the chocolate melts in, and season with salt. Fish out the cloves and the cinnamon stick.
Taste before adding salt: the broth, pastes and peanuts already bring plenty.
Done when: The sauce is thick, dark and glossy, and tastes nutty, smoky and just a little sweet.
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6
Rest and Serve over Rice
5 Mins • Resting
Serve hot, about 65°C (150°F)
Take the pot off the heat and rest for 5 minutes. Spoon the stew over mounds of white rice in wide bowls and serve with salsa criolla — thinly sliced red onion with lime — on the side.
The rest lets the sauce settle and cling to the potatoes instead of running off.
Done when: Each bowl has a generous ladle of thick stew over white rice, steaming and glossy.
Peru
35m
