Seco de carne

The cumin-scented beef stew of the Andean table: braised in chicha, coriander, and ají amarillo, thick and golden

Origin: Lima, Peru / Colombia

From the journey of Cumin.

Seco, paradoxically meaning 'dry' but referring to a thick, richly reduced sauce, is one of the defining stews of both Peruvian and Colombian cooking. It arrived in its current form through the collision of Spanish colonial cooking, indigenous Andean ingredients, and the African culinary influence brought by enslaved people to the Pacific coast. Cumin, carried by the Spanish from the Old World, took root so completely in Andean cooking that it is now considered a native flavour. The dish's defining technique is the use of chicha de jora (fermented corn beer) or light beer as a braising liquid, alongside ají amarillo (yellow chilli) and an extraordinary quantity of fresh coriander, which gives the stew its characteristic golden-green colour.

Ingredients

Meat

800 g beef chuck or shin, cut into 5cm pieces

Base

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced

Spices

2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
to taste salt and black pepper
2 tbsp ají amarillo paste (or 1 fresh ají amarillo, blended)

Braising liquid

250 ml chicha de jora or light lager beer
250 ml beef stock or water

Herbs

1 large bunch fresh coriander (about 60g), leaves and stems

Vegetables

2 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered

Method

Season the beef generously with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the ground cumin. Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole over high heat and brown the beef in batches until deeply coloured on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion to the same pan and cook for 8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining cumin, turmeric, and ají amarillo paste and stir for 1 minute to bloom.
Blend the coriander (leaves and stems) with 4 tbsp of the stock until smooth. Add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes; the kitchen will fill with an extraordinary green fragrance.
Return the beef to the pan. Pour in the chicha or beer and the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Cover and cook over low heat for 60 minutes.
Add the potato quarters, pressing them into the liquid. Cover and cook for a further 25 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the sauce has thickened into a rich, golden-green gravy.
Taste and adjust salt. The sauce should be thick, fragrant, and deeply savoury with a gentle heat from the ají.
Serve over white rice with canary beans (menestras) alongside, and extra fresh coriander scattered over the top.

Notes

Chicha de jora is a fermented corn beer traditional to the Andes; available at Latin American grocery shops. Light lager is a fully acceptable substitute. The dish is equally good with lamb shoulder in place of beef, which is more traditional in the Peruvian highlands. Seco reheats beautifully; make it a day ahead for maximum depth of flavour.

The Gastrographer

Name: Seco de carne
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Peru / Colombia
Ingredients: 800 g beef chuck or shin, cut into 5cm pieces; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large red onion, finely diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp turmeric; to taste salt and black pepper; 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste (or 1 fresh ají amarillo, blended); 250 ml chicha de jora or light lager beer; 250 ml beef stock or water; 1 large bunch fresh coriander (about 60g), leaves and stems; 2 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control