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Sekai Gohan
Seco de Chabelo: Green Plantain and Beef Stir-Fry from Northern Peru
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Substitutes & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green plantains | 4, about 2 lb (900 g) peeled weight | 5 if small. Sweet bananas will not work |
| Cecina or beef round for grilling | 9 oz (250 g) | 10.5 oz (300 g) if thin-sliced beef. Reduce salt if using cecina |
| Salt | 2/3 tsp | 1/4 tsp if the cecina is salty |
| Black pepper | 1/3 tsp | Coarsely ground |
| Cooking oil | 5 tbsp | 4 tbsp for pan-frying the plantain, 1 tbsp for stir-frying |
| Red onion | 1, 5.5 oz (150 g) | Half is cooked, half is used to finish |
| Tomato | 1, 6.5 oz (180 g) | Ripe. Lightly remove watery seeds |
| Garlic | 2 cloves | Minced |
| Ají panca paste | 1 tbsp | If you have none, 1 tbsp paprika and 2 tsp tomato paste |
| Ají amarillo paste | 2 tsp | If the product is hot, start with 1 tsp |
| Chicha de jora | ¼ cup (80 ml) | If you have none, 3.5 tbsp (50 ml) unsweetened beer and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar |
| Apple cider vinegar | 1 tbsp | Stands in for the chicha's sourness. Rice vinegar also works |
| Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp | Supports the northern aroma |
| Dried oregano | 1/2 tsp | Rub between your fingers as you add it |
| Cilantro | 20 g | Stems are cooked, leaves are for finishing |
| Lime | 1 | Cut into 4 wedges |
| Warm rice | 4 bowls | If serving alongside |
| Cancha or toasted corn | 2 oz (60 g) | If serving alongside. Can be left out |
Steps
1Peel and cut the plantains
10 min
Trim 0.5 inches (1 cm) off both ends of each plantain and make 3 lengthwise cuts in the skin. Slip the tip of the knife between the skin and the flesh and peel the skin off by hand. Cut the flesh into 1 inches (3 cm) thick rounds. This step uses no heat. A white cut surface and a little starch on the knife is normal. If the skin is hard and won't peel, add 1 more cut and peel little by little without tearing.
2Pan-fry the plantains
12 min
Put 4 tbsp oil in a heavy frying pan and warm over medium heat for 2 minutes. With a thermometer, aim for 165–170°C. Add the plantain without overlapping, and pan-fry 4 minutes on one side, then flip and fry 3–4 minutes. Take it out when the surface is pale golden, a skewer slides to the center without resistance, and the corners have rounded slightly. If the oil is too hot, only the outside browns and the center stays hard, so if it smokes, lower the heat and wait 30 seconds.
3Mash coarsely while hot
5 min
Move the fried plantain to a bowl and mash it coarsely while hot with a fork or masher. Don't make it a complete paste; stop when pieces of 0.25 inch (5 mm) to 0.5 inches (1 cm) remain. Mashing before the surface dries from draining off too much oil makes it cling to the aderezo later. If hard cores remain and won't mash, move them to a heatproof dish, sprinkle with 1 tbsp water, microwave 1 minute at 600 W, and mash again.
4Sear the beef and shred it fine
8 min
Leave only 1 tbsp oil in the pan and warm over slightly above medium heat for 1 minute. Lay out the cecina, or beef round seasoned with salt and black pepper, and sear 2 minutes per side. Cook until the surface is deeply browned, no red juices run, and, for thin-sliced beef, the red is gone throughout. If using thicker raw beef, aim for 167°F (75°C) at the center for at least 1 minute and cook until no red remains. Rest 3 minutes and shred fine along the grain. If the cecina is already strongly salted, don't add salt here.
5Reduce the red aderezo
8 min
Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and cook 3.5 oz (100 g) red onion, the garlic, and the cilantro stems over medium heat for 2 minutes. When the edges of the onion turn translucent, add the tomato, ají panca paste, ají amarillo paste, cumin, and oregano and cook 3 minutes. Add the chicha de jora and apple cider vinegar and reduce another 3 minutes at a gentle bubble. It is ready when a line drawn on the bottom with a wooden spoon holds for a moment and the oil seeps out red.
6Combine the plantain and beef
5 min
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the mashed plantain and the beef shredded to about 0.25 inch (5 mm) wide. Pressing with a wooden spoon, coat everything in the red aderezo. Stirring too hard turns it to a paste, so repeat the motion of turning from the bottom and pressing. It is enough when a little red oil remains on the bottom of the pan and the plantain is not crumbly but moist enough that it holds loosely when squeezed. If it is too wet, add 1 minute over medium heat; if too dry, add only 1 tbsp chicha de jora or water.
7Finish with cilantro and red onion
3 min
Turn off the heat and mix in the remaining 1.75 oz (50 g) red onion sliced 0.25 inch (5 mm) wide, the cilantro leaves coarsely chopped, and 2 tsp lime juice. Mound it in a dish and serve with warm rice, cancha, and lime. Making a peak in the center of the plate and scattering red onion on top keeps the yellow of the plantain and the brown of the beef from looking heavy. Add the finishing red onion off the heat so that its raw bite remains.