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Sándwich de chola
Sándwich de chola: La Paz roast pork roll with pickled vegetables
In La Paz's southern neighbourhoods, women in bowler hats and pollera skirts sell sándwich de chola from riverside stalls on weekend afternoons: a soft round roll stuffed with slices of juicy roast pork, crackling, pickled carrot and onion, and a fiery locoto sauce. This recipe uses pork tenderloin so it is ready in under an hour, but leftover roast pork leg is just as authentic. The mistake people make is slicing the pork thick and dry; it should be thin, rosy and moist. Chef's tip: dip the cut side of each roll briefly in the roasting juices before filling.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pork
- 1 ⅓ lb pork tenderlointrimmed
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the escabeche
- 1 carrotcut into thin sticks
- 1 red onionsliced into thin rings
- 1 locoto or other hot red chillisliced into rings
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup water
To serve
- 4 soft round bread rollssplit
- 4 lettuce leaves (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F. Rub 1 ⅓ lb pork tenderloin with 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp sunflower oil and leave for 10 minutes. (For longer, cover and keep it in the fridge.)
10 minStep 2: Bring ¼ cup white wine vinegar, ¼ cup water and 1 tsp sugar to the boil in a small pan. Add 1 carrot and simmer for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and add 1 red onion and 1 locoto or other hot red chilli. Leave to cool and pickle.
5 minStep 3: Brown the pork all over in a hot ovenproof frying pan, then roast until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 145°F, about 15–18 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Rest the pork on a board, loosely covered, for at least 5 minutes, then slice it thinly. Keep the pan juices.
5 minStep 5: Dip the cut side of 4 soft round bread rolls in the pan juices, add 4 lettuce leaves if using, pile in the pork and top with drained escabeche. Serve with extra pickling liquid and chilli for spooning over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sándwich de chola take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 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 very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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