Where it comes from
Sajta is a cornerstone of Aymara and paceño home cooking, its name drawn from a Quechua-Aymara word for a dish drenched in chili. Once reserved for births, baptisms and weddings, the fiery yellow stew is now a staple at family gatherings and folk festivals across the Bolivian highlands.
On the plate
The aji amarillo sauce is bright, fruity and slow-burning, clinging to fall-off-the-bone chicken. The chewy, earthy chuño soaks it up while the raw onion sarza adds a sharp, cooling crunch. It is bold, layered highland comfort.
How it works
Ground aji amarillo released into hot oil blooms its fruity capsaicin and carotenoid color, while a gentle simmer lets the chicken absorb the sauce and turn tender without drying out.
Variations
sajta de gallina with hen, extra spicy, with rice instead of chuño, with quinoa
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 5 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 15 min
Season chicken pieces with salt, cumin and pepper.
- 28 min
Briefly fry the chicken in oil until lightly colored.
- 310 min
Saute onion, garlic and plenty of ground yellow aji into a sauce.
- 43 min
Return the chicken and add a little broth to the pan.
- 520 min
Simmer until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickens.
- 615 min
Boil chuño and white potatoes separately until soft.
- 75 min
Make a fresh sarza by chopping onion and tomato with salt.
- 82 min
Plate the chicken over potatoes and chuño, topped with sarza.
