Chairo Paceño

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb shoulder on the bone, cut into pieces
• 200 g chalona (salt-dried lamb), soaked overnight
• 10 black chuño, soaked overnight
• 100 g peeled wheat (trigo pelado), soaked overnight
• 150 g mote (white hominy), soaked overnight
• 2 litres water
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste
• 2 carrots, diced
• 300 g potatoes, cut into cubes
• 150 g podded broad beans
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• small handful parsley and hierbabuena, chopped
• salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Soak the wheat, hominy and chuño in separate bowls of cold water overnight.
• Soak the chalona overnight too, changing the water once to draw out the salt.
• Cut the lamb shoulder into pieces about 5 cm across.
• Dice the onion, carrots and potatoes and mince the garlic.
• Chop the parsley and hierbabuena for finishing.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked wheat and hominy and rinse them under cold running water.
2. Put the lamb, chalona, wheat and hominy into a large pot with the 2 litres of water.
3. Bring the pot to the boil and skim off the grey foam that rises.
4. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the wheat begins to soften.
5. Squeeze the soaked chuño hard to wring out all the water.
6. Crush the chuño roughly with a rolling pin so it breaks into pieces rather than powder.
7. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic for 6 minutes.
8. Stir in the ají amarillo paste, cumin and oregano and fry for 3 minutes.
9. Tip the whole sofrito into the simmering pot and stir it through.
10. Add the crushed chuño, the carrots and the potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.
11. Add the broad beans and cook for 10 minutes more.
12. Check that the wheat is soft and the broth has thickened to the texture of pouring cream.
13. Season with salt and pepper, tasting first because the chalona is already salty.
14. Ladle the soup into deep bowls and scatter the parsley and hierbabuena over the top.