Lamb is not a very popular meat in my hometown. It is in the highlands, but for some reason the urbanites prefer beef. This is a beef version of the lamb seco I published a while ago. Now, I know that this will sound insane… but I decided to use kombucha instead of chicha de jora, knowing that a) the stuff is not cheap, and b) the cooking process kills the beneficial bacteria. But taste-wise it made sense. The result? I’d say I won’t be buying chicha any time soon.
I adapted this recipe from a very well known Peruvian chef. A quick note on tradition: this stew usually contains peas and is served with rice and potatoes or rice and beans. My mum used to serve it with rice and cassava prepared the way I indicate in the recipe.
Seco de carne
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg gravy beef diced
Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/3 cup pisco or brandy
- 1 pinch black pepper and cumin
Stew
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ají amarillo powder or any other chilli, to taste
- 2 bunches coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
- 1 cup kombucha or apple cider/gluten-free beer/white wine
- 1/2 cup grated pumpkin
- 2 cups beef stock
- salt and pepper
- 2 oranges juiced
To serve
- cassava
- butter or ghee
Instructions
- Marinate beef with crushed garlic, pisco, pepper and cumin for at least one hour or overnight.
- Drain beef (discard marinade) and brown in a heavy-bottomed pot with one tablespoon of ghee. Reserve.
- Lower heat, and in the same pot melt another tablespoon of ghee. Cook onion, minced garlic and chilli until very soft, approximately 10 minutes.
- While the aderezo is cooking, blend coriander with kombucha.
- Add pumpkin to the pot, cook for a minute, stirring often.
- Add meat, blended coriander, and stock to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and simmer covered until soft (1.5 to 2 hours).
- While you wait, boil cassava in water until soft. Drain and reserve.
- Add orange juice. Let reduce with the lid off if there's too much liquid for your liking.
- Fry cassava in butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve.
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Peruvian recipes from abroad
This e-book contains my favourite Peruvian recipes developed from the point of view of an expat who learned to find her way with the ingredients that were available in her new home.
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