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1
Cook the Aderezo
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring, until soft and glassy. Stir in the garlic and the ají amarillo paste and cook for 2 more minutes until the paste darkens slightly and smells warm and fruity. Stir in the oregano.
Cooking the ají paste in oil is what carries its flavour through the whole pot; stirred into water later, it would stay raw and sharp.
Done when: Onion soft and translucent, paste a shade darker, kitchen smelling warm and fruity.
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2
Simmer the Pumpkin & Potato
22 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot with the pumpkin and the water and salt. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat, cover partway and simmer gently for about 22 minutes until the pumpkin is very soft and starting to fall apart at the edges.
Keep it at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil: hard boiling throws foam over the rim and breaks the pumpkin into grit instead of cream.
Done when: Pumpkin crushes easily against the side of the pot with a spoon; potato cubes are tender but still whole.
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3
Add the Corn & Peas
7 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir in the corn and peas and simmer for about 7 minutes more, until the peas are bright green and tender and the corn is sweet and cooked through.
Adding them late keeps the peas green and the corn snappy; cooked from the start, both would turn dull and mushy.
Done when: Peas bright green and tender, corn plump and sweet, stew thick and steaming.
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4
Mash Lightly to Thicken
4 Mins
Low heat, about 85°C (185°F)
Take the pot off the heat for a moment and mash about one-third of the pumpkin against the side of the pot with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon, leaving the rest in soft chunks. Stir well: the mashed pumpkin is what thickens the stew, so no flour or cream is needed.
Mash in the pot, not in a blender: a blender turns the stew gluey, while a masher keeps it thick but light.
Done when: Stew thick, creamy and spoon-coating, with soft pumpkin and potato pieces still visible.
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5
Finish with Milk & Cheese
4 Mins
Low heat, about 80°C (175°F) — do not boil
Return the pot to low heat, pour in the evaporated milk and stir in 150g of the queso fresco. Heat gently for about 4 minutes, stirring, until the cheese has softened into the stew. Taste and add salt. Take the pot off the heat as soon as it is hot through, and stir in half the cilantro.
Never let the stew boil once the milk and cheese are in: boiling curdles the milk and turns the cheese rubbery instead of silky.
Done when: Stew hot, smooth and deep gold, cheese softened through, no boiling bubbles.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve at once in deep bowls over white rice if you like, topped with the remaining queso fresco and cilantro — and a fried egg on top, the way it is served in Peru. Pass extra cheese and black pepper at the table so everyone seasons their own bowl.
Peru
35m
