Fricasé paceño is a fiery yellow pork stew of La Paz, sharp with ají amarillo and hominy, eaten in the small cold hours after festivities — the Andean cure for the morning after.
Brothy and bold, with golden ají heat that warms from the inside and tender pork that slips off the bone. Plump hominy and spongy chuño soak up the spiced liquid. It is the quintessential restorative — equal parts comfort and gentle fire.
Long simmering of bony pork releases gelatin and fat into a rich broth, while frying the ají paste blooms its color and softens its raw edge. The starchy hominy and chuño thicken the soup slightly and carry the spice.
Variations
Chicken fricasé, versions with potatoes instead of chuño, milder versions for non-spice-eaters, with extra mote for heartiness.
On the Palate
Where Fricasé Paceño sits in the Bolivian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Cut pork (with some rib pieces) into chunks and rinse the hominy and soaked chuño.
- 260 min
Simmer the pork in salted water with garlic until a flavorful broth forms, skimming the foam.
Watch outSkim off the grey foam as it rises so the broth stays clean and clear — leave it and the soup turns cloudy and dull.
- 36 min
Blend ají amarillo with garlic, cumin and oregano into a smooth paste.
- 45 min
Fry the ají paste briefly in a little oil, then stir it into the simmering pork broth.
Watch outFry the ají paste until it darkens and smells sweet, not raw — that quick bloom takes off its harsh edge and deepens the color.
- 530 min
Add the hominy and continue to simmer until the corn is plump and tender.
- 625 min
Add the chuño and cook until everything is soft and the broth turns deep yellow.
Watch outAdd the chuño and simmer until the broth turns deep gold and everything is meltingly soft — the potato is what tints and thickens it.
- 78 min
Season with salt and pepper and let the flavors meld over low heat.
- 84 min
Serve very hot in deep bowls with extra broth, mote and chuño in each.
