An Andean stew where olluco and charqui take over from the first spoonful. Juicy and deeply savory, it brings tender strips of olluco together with toasted dried meat and a chile aderezo that clings to every bite. It has the kind of salty, home-cooked depth that makes stopping after one serving surprisingly difficult.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Rinse the charqui and place it in a pot with a little more than half of the water. Once it boils, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse it under cold water. A strand should still taste salty, but not aggressively so. Let it cool slightly and shred it into thin strips.
While the charqui cools, heat a small portion of the oil in another pot and cook a small portion of the ground garlic for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the white rice, stir for 1 minute, then add part of the water and salt. Once it boils and the liquid drops almost to the level of the rice, cover and cook over low heat for 12 to 14 minutes, until the grains are tender and no free water remains; turn off the heat and keep it covered.
Wash the olluco thoroughly and cut it into thin, even strips. Finely chop the red onion, remove the seeds and thick veins from the ají amarillo and chop it small; keep the parsley ready to chop at the end.
Heat the remaining oil in a pot and brown the reserved charqui for 3 to 4 minutes, until it smells toasted and some edges are golden and firm; remove it briefly. In the same pot, cook the red onion for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the remaining ground garlic, ají amarillo, ají panca paste, cumin, oregano, black pepper and remaining salt; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the chiles lose their raw aroma and the aderezo looks glossy and concentrated.
Add the olluco to the aderezo and stir for 2 minutes, until it starts releasing its own moisture. Return the charqui to the pot, add the remaining water, partially cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the olluco is tender but still holds its strips and the stew is juicy without a separate layer of water.
Turn off the heat, chop the parsley and fold it into the stew. Give everything one final stir and serve piping hot with the white rice on the side. And that's it! If the olluco is tender, the charqui still stands out among the strips and the juices lightly cling to the spoon, it came out exactly as it should; now try stopping after one serving 😌
