In Chincha, carapulcra is made with fresh potatoes cooked with pork, ají panca, and peanuts until some of the cubes melt into the broth and thicken it. Cinnamon stays quietly in the background without obvious sweetness; once the sauce starts falling slowly from the spoon, it is hard not to picture it already on the plate.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Cut the pork belly into medium pieces and season with part of the salt and half of the black pepper. Heat about one third of the oil in the pressure cooker and brown the pork for 5 minutes, until several sides develop color. Add all the water, seal the cooker, and cook for 25 minutes once full pressure is reached. Turn off the heat and allow a natural pressure release for about 8 minutes before opening according to your cooker's safety instructions.
Remove the pork and keep it aside. Peel the potatoes and cut them into large pieces; cook them directly in the pork broth, without pressure, for 15 minutes, until tender but still firm enough to cut without falling apart. Remove them, let them cool slightly, and cut into roughly 2 cm / ¾-inch cubes. Keep all of the broth.
Heat the remaining oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground garlic, ají panca paste, cumin, cinnamon stick, and remaining black pepper. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adding small splashes of the reserved broth if the base threatens to stick, until the chile paste is dark, glossy, and no longer smells raw.
Blend the toasted peanuts with about 300 ml of the reserved broth until creamy. Add the mixture to the aderezo and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the peanuts are fully incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken.
Return the pork and potato cubes to the pot and add enough reserved broth to bind everything together without covering it like a soup. Cook over low heat for 12 minutes, stirring from the bottom and lightly crushing a few potato cubes against the side of the pot to build body without turning everything into puree. Remove the cinnamon, add the remaining salt, and serve once the sauce is thick, glossy, and falls slowly from the spoon. That is usually the point when looking at the pot without reaching for a plate becomes rather difficult. Done! 🥘
