Guatemalan recipe
How to make Pepián
The whole country, especially Antigua and the central highlands
Often called the national dish: a thick, rust-coloured stew of chicken or beef with potatoes, chayote and green beans. The sauce is made from pumpkin and sesame seeds, dried chillies, tomatoes and tomatillos, all toasted until dark and fragrant before being ground. It is served with rice and tortillas or small tamales.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, about 1.5 kg, cut into pieces
- 3 potatoes and 1 chayote (or courgette), peeled and cut into chunks
- A handful of green beans
- 50 g hulled pumpkin seeds and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 dried guajillo chillies and 1 dried pasilla chilli, seeds removed
- 4 tomatoes, 4 tomatillos, 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 corn tortilla or slice of bread
- Salt, and fresh coriander to serve
Method
- Put the chicken in a large pot with water to cover and a little salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep the broth.
- In a dry frying pan, toast the pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chillies and cinnamon for a few minutes until fragrant, stirring so they do not burn.
- Char the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and garlic in the same pan until blackened in spots, then toast the tortilla until crisp.
- Blend everything with about 500 ml of the chicken broth until smooth, and pour the sauce into the pot with the chicken.
- Add the potatoes, chayote and green beans and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the sauce is thick. Season with salt and serve with rice, tortillas and coriander.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
In 2007 Guatemala's Ministry of Culture declared pepián, jocón, kak'ik and plantains in mole to be Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
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