I get sudden cravings for Peruvian food once in a while. One day I was fixated on pepián, a corn purée spiced with our traditional aderezo of onion, garlic and chilli. Then I remembered I had a bag of lupin flakes in my cupboard and decided to use it as the main ingredient, partially because sweet corn is very different from Peruvian white corn. I used a ají amarillo paste that I found at Fiji Market. It’s got preservatives, so it’s not as good (health- or taste-wise) as fresh or as the paste I’m used to, but it’s better than nothing. If you can’t find ají amarillo paste you can use fresh chillies made into a paste in a blender or food processor with a bit of water or oil.
Lupin a la peruana (Peruvian-style lupin)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 tsp ají amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli) paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup lupin flakes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- handful coriander leaves, chopped
Directions
- Heat oil or ghee in a pan at low-medium temperature. Cook onion, garlic and chilli for 5-10 minutes, until very soft and translucent.
- Add lupin flakes and broth. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.
- Turn off heat, mix in the chopped coriander.
- Serve with your choice of protein, rice (to make it more Peruvian!) and plenty of veggies.