Freshly fried green bellaco plantain mashed with pork fat and chicharrón forms the tacacho served with browned Amazonian cecina. Cocona and charapita chili cut through the richness with a fresh bite, creating the kind of contrast that makes the next forkful happen almost automatically.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Cut the cocona into small dice and finely chop the red onion, charapita chili, and sacha culantro. Mix them in a bowl with one quarter of the salt and set aside while you prepare the rest; the cocona will naturally release its juices without requiring a dedicated resting period.
Peel the green bellaco plantain and cut it into thick pieces about 3 cm / 1¼ inches wide. Heat almost all the oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry the plantain in 2 batches for 8 to 10 minutes per batch, turning the pieces, until golden outside and completely tender when pierced with a knife. Transfer to paper towels and take it to the batán while still very hot.
Mash the hot plantain in the batán until no large pieces remain, without trying to make a smooth paste. Add the pork fat, chopped chicharrón, and half the salt; keep pounding and mixing until you have a rustic mixture that holds together. Shape it into 4 large balls, pressing only enough to keep them from falling apart.
Pour off the excess oil from the skillet, leaving only a thin film. Brown the pork cecina in 2 batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until piping hot, glossy, and lightly toasted around the edges. Do not keep cooking once it has browned; the cecina should retain some juiciness.
Serve each tacacho ball with a portion of cecina and the cocona salsa alongside. Sprinkle the remaining salt over the tacacho only if the mixture needs it. Once the warm, rich plantain meets the smoky pork and then the fresh cocona cuts through, it becomes pretty clear why this dish does not need anything else competing for attention. Done! 🔥
