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Ají de arvejas
Ají de arvejas: Bolivian peas and potatoes stewed in a yellow chilli sauce with fresh cheese
Ají de arvejas is a homely Bolivian stew from La Paz and Cochabamba, cooked for weekday lunch or on Fridays and in Lent, when many families eat no meat. Green peas and potatoes simmer in a golden sauce of onion, tomato and ají amarillo (yellow chilli), and cubes of fresh white cheese are stirred in at the end so they soften without melting away. It is served with plain white rice and sometimes a boiled egg. Bolivian queso fresco is often made with animal rennet; for vegetarians, use a paneer or a fresh cheese labelled vegetarian. The usual mistake is boiling the cheese, which turns it rubbery. Chef's tip: cook the ají paste with the onion until it darkens slightly, which takes the raw edge off the chilli.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tomatograted
- 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoespeeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 14 oz fresh or frozen peas
- ¾ tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz fresh white cheese or paneer (vegetarian, without animal rennet)cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a pot over a medium heat and cook 1 onion for 6 minutes until soft. Add 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste, ½ tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp dried oregano and fry for 2 minutes until the paste darkens a shade.
8 minStep 2: Add 1 tomato and cook for 3 minutes until saucy.
3 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoes, 1 ¾ cups water and ¾ tsp salt, cover and simmer for 12 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender.
12 minStep 4: Add 14 oz fresh or frozen peas and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft at the edges and the sauce is thick.
5 minStep 5: Turn off the heat, fold in 5 ½ oz fresh white cheese or paneer (vegetarian, without animal rennet) and leave for 2 minutes so it warms through. Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh parsley and serve with rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ají de arvejas take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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