A home-style Peruvian one-pot rice dish with tender pieces of beef and an onion, tomato, and yellow chili seasoning base that flavors every grain. Carrot and peas round out a simple, filling, deeply savory meal made entirely in one pot.
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Cut the beef into medium cubes and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Chop the onion, garlic, and tomato; dice the carrot small enough to finish cooking at the same time as the rice.
Season the beef with roughly one third of the salt, half of the cumin, and half of the black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat and sear the beef for 5 to 6 minutes, turning until it develops deeply browned patches on several sides. Remove and reserve.
Reduce to medium heat and cook the onion in the same pot for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom, until translucent with a few browned edges. Add the garlic, yellow chili, remaining cumin, and remaining black pepper, then cook for 2 minutes, until the chili loses its raw aroma.
Add the tomato and cook for 4 minutes, until soft, glossy, and almost completely blended into the seasoning base. Return the beef and add one quarter of the water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until the beef begins to feel tender when pierced but still needs a little more cooking.
Add the rice, carrot, peas, remaining water, and remaining salt. Stir once and, when it reaches a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 18 minutes, until no visible liquid remains, small steam holes appear, and the grains are tender but still separate.
Turn off the heat and let the covered pot rest for 8 minutes. Then gently fluff the rice from the edges, distributing the beef and vegetables without breaking the grains. It should be moist and savory yet fluffy, with tender beef throughout every portion. And that's it! One pot, a complete meal, and very little motivation to leave leftovers. 😌
