Peruvian chicken stew
So good you’ll never forget it.
We miss our friends, our families, the streets and parks where we grew up in our cities, and especially we miss the food
Of course the food, the flavors, and scents that defined our childhood.
Not surprisingly, human brains, have developed a direct link between taste, smell, and memories. So if we have strong and positive eating experiences and food rituals, we’ll later experience emotions like joy, pleasure, and nostalgia around food.
Now, nostalgia is an interesting feeling. We don't know if it's positive or negative, if it's useful or if it hurts us.
For example, 400 years ago, nostalgia was considered an illness in artists. And 200 years ago nostalgia was associated with wonderlust, and the longing to travel and explore.
Today Nostalgia has been found to have important psychological functions, such as improving mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, and provide existential meaning.
Seco de Pollo, the traditional Peruvian dish, stirs lots of memories in us: The scents and sounds of Lima, the loud chatter inside restaurants, and the conversations around the kitchen wooden table at home growing up.
Let us share this dish so you too can one day yearn to have it again!
Bring it all together: The recipe, the book, and the music.
🍗 INGREDIENTS 🥬
4 Chicken breasts
2 bunches of cilantro (processed with some vegetable or chicken broth)
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (for cilantro and stew)
1 large cup of dark beer
1 large onion chopped up
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of ají Camarillo (any local pepper will do, make sure it is a paste)
Cumin, salt, and pepper to taste
1 cup of peas
1 cup of rounded pieces of carrots
2 medium potatoes
👩🍳 Follow these easy steps 👨🍳
- Sear chicken on a lightly oiled pan. make sure to only sear outside on medium to high heat. Avoid burning the oil. Remove chicken when golden.
- In the same pan add onions, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook on medium heat until the onions become transparent.
- Add the processed cilantro, the ají (or local pepper) paste. Mix it thoroughly and add the dark beer.
- Add the seared chicken back into the pan. Cover and cook on medium to low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- 5 minutes before the timer is done, add the carrots and peas. Cover again.
- While the chicken and sauce cook, boil the potatoes, already cut into approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) circles. Remove when tender and sear on medium heat. They will be ready when each side is golden to perfection.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over the golden potatoes. Serve with white rice and “choclo” (corn).
Book pairing:
Our favorite quote:
The Greek word for “return” is nostos. Algos means “suffering.” So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.
Playlist recommendation:
