Papa A La Huancaina
(pronounced as ''papa-sa-la-van-ca-eena''/papa-la-van-ca-eena)
It was during the construction of Lima Huancayo train when women from Huancayo cooked a dish with a ricotta cheese and milk base that was milled on a stone for the workers and was called Papa De Las Huancainas.
Eventually, the dish became more popular in Lima, where the ricotta cheese was replaced with aji amarilo (yellow peruvian pepper) cultivated only in the coastal zones. Queso Fresco (fresh white cheese) is commonly used and is mostly served as an appetizer! An everyday staple in the country that is more popular on the coast than in the Peruvian Sierra.
My Story
I learnt this dish at Scafa, the culinary school and thoroughly enjoyed making and eating it. Don’t ask me how many eggs my partner boiled trying to get that perfect half boiled egg though it never happened. We finally plating our dish and here’s our version!
17th June, 2019
Reference:
Wikipedia
www.perudelights.com
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the salad
1. 500g small potatoes with skin, boil and cut into wedges
2. 20g sliced black olives
3. 100g lettuce
4. 2 half boiled eggs/ hardboiled eggs (as preferred)
5. A few roasted and crushed peanuts
For the sauce
1. ½ medium sized white onion, roughly chopped
2. 2 medium sized yellow bell peppers/ 50g Aji amarillo chilies (South America), roughly chopped
3. 2-3 garlic, roughly chopped
4. ¼ cup evaporated milk
5. 25-30g feta cheese or as per taste
6. ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock
7. Salt
8. Pepper
9. Chili flakes (optional)
10. Chipotle chili seasoning (optional)
11. vegetable oil
Here We Go
1. Sauté the onions and garlic in vegetable oil on a medium low till transparent. Add the yellow bell peppers seasoning and cook for 5-7 minutes.
2. Then, add the evaporated milk and let it reduce. Remove and cool.
3. Blend it with, feta cheese and a little stock (if required) to a smooth thick paste. Remove in a bowl. Add the chipotle chili seasoning and cilliflakes if available.
Plating
1. To serve, place the lettuce leaves (torn into bite size pieces) on the plate.Put the potatoes, pour the huancaina sauce over them, garnish with hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges. Spread a few black olives and sprinkle roasted peanuts.
2. Serve cold
Chef's Whisper
1. Cottage cheese, cream cheese can also be used instead of queso fresco. I’ve used feta here.
2. If it’s too thick, you can add some fresh milk or stock.
3. This sauce can also be used as a dip.
4. Crackers can also be added while making the sauce.
5. The original recipe calls for a lot of sauce poured over the potatoes but I prefer using just enough to coat them. You can certainly add more.
