A home-style Peruvian stewed hen for a family lunch, with an onion, garlic, tomato, and ají panca sauce plus potato, carrot, and peas. Pressure cooking tenderizes the hen quickly and produces a simple, filling everyday stew served with white rice.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Chop the onion, garlic, and tomato. Peel the yellow potatoes and cut them into large halves; slice the carrot thickly. Dry the hen pieces thoroughly with paper towels.
Season the hen with roughly one third of the salt, half of the cumin, and half of the black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in the uncovered pressure cooker and brown the pieces for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until well colored. Remove and reserve.
In the same pot cook the onion for 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, ají panca paste, remaining cumin, and remaining black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato and cook for another 3 minutes, until softened and the seasoning base is red, glossy, and no longer smells raw.
Return the hen to the pot and add the water, bay leaf, and remaining salt. Lock the cooker correctly and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow a 5-minute natural pressure release, then release any remaining pressure according to your cooker's instructions before opening. The hen should be tender when pierced while still holding together on the bone.
Remove the bay leaf and add the yellow potatoes and carrot. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, until the potatoes are nearly tender. Add the peas and cook for another 2 minutes, until the vegetables are done and the sauce is thick and glossy.
Turn off the heat and serve one piece of hen immediately with potato, vegetables, plenty of sauce, and cooked white rice alongside. The proper result is tender hen, intact potatoes, and a full-bodied sauce rather than a pot of mash. And that's it! Family lunch before someone asks why it is not on the table yet. 😌
