Easy Chilean Charquicán - Pilar Hernández's Chilean Kitchen
Charquicán is a very seasonal dish in Chile. That is, if it's summer and green beans, peas, and corn are in season, they're added. The same goes for other vegetables. If it's winter, it's cooked with dried squash and the ever-present potatoes.
Ingredients · Servings 6
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 500 grams of minced meat (top sirloin in the US) or ground meat, it can also be chicken or turkey
- 2 cups (250 grams) of peeled and cubed pumpkin
- 5-6 medium to large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups of vegetable broth or water
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika or chili powder
- pinch of cumin, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
- 1 cup of corn, peas or green beans (can be frozen)
- salt, pepper, oil
- 4-6 eggs (optional), to serve
Method · 50 min
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Heat, add the onion and cook until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic.
- Add the meat and brown for 6 minutes.
- Add the squash, potatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and paprika, stir well, add 2 cups of vegetable broth or water.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat; it should simmer gently. Mash with a potato masher.
- If available, add corn, peas, and chopped green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- If desired, fry the eggs and serve each dish with a fried egg on top.
The name comes from the use of charqui in the preparation. Charqui is any type of smoked and dried meat. It could be horse jerky, beef jerky, or even fish jerky. Before refrigerators were common, this was how meat was preserved. Nowadays, it's more common to make it with fresh meat, but the name remains.
Description
One of the oldest dishes in Chilean cuisine.
