Bolivian Fricase Recipe

I have made this the past few years... slowly getting better and better, and this summer I was in Bolivia and my Tia Lilia showed me some of her trips for preparing it. The trick is getting certain ingredients or creative substitutions.

Here is my recipe and what I have learned Fricase is a dish served in the mountain region of Bolivia. It is a really a pork stew if I had to give it a basic name, and to relate it to something my friends would know it is close to Mexican Pozole.

4 to 6 pounds of pork ribs (I tried lean cuts or pork loin but it is not the same)
1 White Onion
Aji Amarillo (Yellow Pepper) Paste (Inca Foods, from Amazon - link)
Aji Amarillo spice (ground dried pepper) that I got in Bolivia
Cumin
Black Pepper
Garlic
Carne Asada Seasoning - most Mexican stores will sell this
Chuño - this is a naturally freeze dried potato from Bolivia (Amazon - link)
Potatoes - I substitute this for Chuño usually
Mote - this is large white corn from Bolivia
Hominy - Mexican Style White Corn (try to get 5-6 cups)
One Green Onion

I take the meat out and season it with the Carne Asada mix. Just lightly dust it and let it sit while I prep the rest. I chop the onion, three garlic cloves, and green onion.

I get a stock pot, and start to boil 12 cups of water. I put in half of what I chopped (onions, garlic) and then a teaspoon of Aji Amarillo seasoning, teaspoon of black petter, teaspoon of cumin, and a tad of salt, onion salt and a little more carne asada seasoning.

I heat a large pan and put some olive oil in it and toss the other half of the onions, a tea spoon of the aji amarillo paste and garlic in the pan. Once it heats up I quickly brown the pork on all sides. Once it is browned I put it in the stock pot and let it boil for a little bit and then turn it down. I cook it until pork is falling off the bones, usually about 2 hours.

Once the fricase is getting close I cook potatoes (or chuño which cooks the same, except you have to remember to rehydrate them overnight). Peal them well and cut them into quarters or like 1-2 inch pieces. This all depends on how much you want I don't make a lot and cook it in a small pot. I try to have this done just before I am going to serve.

Once I think the fricase has about 15-20 minutes to go I put in the hominy. I strain it, and lightly rinse to get some of the salt off since the soup should have plenty. Then just put the hominey right into the stock pot.

To plate it, traditionally you would put the potatoes and chuño in a large soup bowl, and then serve the fricase on top of it. It is good because it keeps the flavors apart. I keep the potatoes separate until we eat it, and put 2-3 pieces of potato in the bowl, and serve the soup.

Provecho!

The Aji Amarillo paste can be very hot, so you have to be careful with how much you put in but flavor to taste. The cumin can also be overpowering, but it is in important part of the flavor in my opinion.

It is definitely not like my abuelita made, not like Tia Lilia either, but I get better each time and my kids love it so that is a win. Happy eating, CIAO CIAO.