Crisp fried guinea pig finished with a rich red sauce of ají panca and peanuts. Boiled potatoes and rice complete this festive Junín classic. Bold and homestyle, with the cuy still crisp beneath the sauce.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Cut the whole guinea pig through the joints into 4 large pieces and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Season with about one quarter of the salt and lightly coat each piece with the corn flour, shaking off all excess.
Peel the yellow potatoes and cook them in a medium pot with about 85% of the water and another portion of the salt for 18 to 20 minutes, until tender in the center but still holding their shape. Drain and keep warm.
Heat about 95% of the vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet to 175–180°C. Fry the guinea pig pieces without crowding for 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning with kitchen tongs, until deeply golden and crisp and at least 74°C in the thickest part of the meat, without touching the bone. Drain on paper towels.
Blend the toasted peanuts with the remaining 15% of the water until slightly coarse and creamy. In a medium pot, heat the remaining oil and cook the chopped red onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, ají panca paste, ground cumin, ground black pepper, and remaining salt; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the seasoning base is dark, glossy and no longer tastes raw. Stir in the blended peanuts and cook for another 4 minutes, until the sauce is thick but still fluid.
Add the boiled potatoes to the sauce and gently turn them for 2 minutes, just until thoroughly coated. Pass the guinea pig pieces through the red sauce for only 30 to 60 seconds, without simmering them in it so the skin stays crisp. Serve each portion with cooked white rice, a well-coated potato, and one piece of guinea pig with plenty of sauce. And that's it! Proper colorado: ají panca, peanuts and crisp cuy doing all the talking. 🐹
