A La Paz plate of boiled corn-on-the-cob, fava beans, floury potatoes and a thick slab of pan-fried fresh cheese, brightened with llajua chili sauce.
Born in La Paz, the plate traces back to the 1781 indigenous siege of the city led by Tupac Katari, when meat grew scarce and Aymara families survived on the harvest of the altiplano - corn, beans, potatoes and cheese. It became a symbol of paceño resilience and is still eaten through the wet summer when crops are at their peak.
Sweet bursts of altiplano corn give way to creamy fava beans and a salty, blistered crust of warm cheese. The llajua cuts through with a fresh, fiery snap. It eats like a warm, sunlit harvest on a plate.
Pan-frying the fresh cheese sets a golden Maillard crust while the interior stays soft and squeaky, contrasting the starchy boiled vegetables. The acidic, spicy llajua balances the rich dairy and sweet corn.
Variations
with charque (dried beef), with a fried egg on top, with mote (hominy) instead of corn, served alongside grilled meat
On the Palate
Where Plato Paceño sits in the Bolivian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 120 min
Boil whole ears of corn and unpeeled potatoes in salted water until tender.
Watch outBoil the potatoes and corn until a knife slips into the potato with no resistance — the corn should be plump and tender, not chalky.
- 210 min
Separately boil fresh fava beans until just soft, then drain.
- 33 min
Slice fresh white cheese into thick slabs.
- 46 min
Pan-fry the cheese slabs in a little oil until golden on both sides.
Watch outGet the pan hot before the cheese goes in and don't move it until a golden crust forms — flip once; poke it too early and the soft cheese sticks and tears instead of releasing.
- 54 min
Cut the corn cobs into rounds and peel the potatoes.
- 63 min
Arrange corn, potatoes, fava beans and fried cheese on each plate.
- 71 min
Spoon over a little of the cooking oil and season with salt.
- 81 min
Serve hot with a generous side of llajua chili sauce.
