A home-style pachamanca where beef, pork, and chicken share the unmistakable fragrance of chincho and huacatay. The sealed cooking keeps the meats juicy while concentrating the marinade around Huayro potatoes, sweet potato, corn, and fava beans without turning the bottom into broth. Lifting the lid pays off immediately: the aroma arrives first, and then the servings start disappearing.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Blend the chincho, huacatay, culantro, chicha de jora, red wine vinegar, ají panca paste, seeded and deveined ají amarillo, garlic, oil, cumin, black pepper, and all the salt for 1 minute, until you have a dark green, thick, deeply aromatic marinade. It should coat a spoon without immediately running off.
Cut the beef and pork into pieces about 4 cm wide and make sure the chicken pieces are fairly even in size. Coat all three meats with the marinade, working it over every surface, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
While the meats rest, wash the Huayro potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and fava beans well. Leave medium potatoes whole, halve large sweet potatoes, and cut the corn into large sections. Wash the corn husks and keep them damp and flexible; they will form the aromatic barrier between the pot and the food.
Line the bottom of a large pot with some of the corn husks. Arrange the beef and pork first with the marinade clinging to them, pour half of the water down one side, and cover the meats with another layer of husks. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30 minutes; this head start prevents the firmer meats from remaining tough once the chicken is done.
Open the pot carefully and distribute the Huayro potatoes and sweet potatoes around the meats. Place the chicken pieces on top and finish with the corn and fava beans. Pour the remaining water down the side, spoon any marinade left in the bowl over the layers, and close everything with the remaining husks. Cover immediately.
Cook the sealed pot over low heat for 45 minutes without opening it. When done, uncover while keeping your face away from the steam and check that the chicken reaches 74°C in its thickest part, the beef and pork yield easily when pierced, and the potatoes are tender through the center. If any meat still resists, remove it together with any sides that are already done and continue cooking only that meat for a few more minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 10 minutes. Serve some of each meat with potatoes, sweet potato, corn, and fava beans, spooning over the concentrated juices trapped among the husks. The right result is not a pool of liquid but moist meats, seasoned tubers, and a small amount of intensely aromatic cooking juices the moment the lid comes off. Uncover it, serve it, and let the aroma do the rest.
