Fricasé Paceño
“A golden, brothy pork stew from La Paz, spiced with ají amarillo and cumin and loaded with chunks of pork, hominy (mote) and chuño. Traditionally eaten as a warming opener on cold mornings — and famously to welcome the dawn after New Year's parties.”
Where it comes from
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 — a celebrated Andean cure for the morning after.
On the plate
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.
How it works
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
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 120 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
