Name: Beef and vegetable sancochado
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 175 min
Total time: 210 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1100 g boneless beef shin or brisket — cut into six large portions, excess visible fat trimmed; 3300 ml cold water — measured; 180 g onion — peeled and halved; 150 g leek, white and pale green part — split and thoroughly rinsed; 100 g celery stalks — halved; 320 g carrots — peeled and cut into large sections; 240 g turnip — peeled and cut into six pieces; 420 g Peruvian large-kernel corn (choclo) — cut into six pieces, edible portion only; 480 g cassava (yuca) — peeled, cut into large chunks; 540 g potatoes — peeled, left as large pieces; 360 g green cabbage — cut into six wedges; 9 g fine salt — weighed

Peruvian sancochado with beef, yuca and choclo

Yield 6 servings

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 175 minutes

Passive time 0 minutes

Total time 210 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Peruvian sancochado with beef, yuca and choclo

Sancochado builds a substantial meal in a single pot: beef cooks slowly until tender, lending flavour to the broth, before choclo, roots and cabbage are added in a considered sequence. The stock and the solid components can be served together or presented separately. Unlike a blended soup, the vegetables are kept in identifiable pieces.

Time is the organising ingredient. The beef takes much longer than the potato or cabbage, so it begins in cool water with onion, leek and celery and simmers gently. The corn and firmer roots follow; yuca and potato are added later; cabbage goes in at the end. Removing vegetables as they become tender is better than allowing everything to collapse.

The broth should taste clean and rounded, not cloudy with broken vegetables or excessive surface fat. A large pot, a gentle simmer and a slotted spoon make the job easier. Food safety still matters: the beef must pass a measured safe endpoint and the large volume of leftovers needs rapid cooling in shallow containers.

Ingredients

For broth and meat

1100 g boneless beef shin or brisket — cut into six large portions, excess visible fat trimmed
3300 ml cold water — measured
180 g onion — peeled and halved
150 g leek, white and pale green part — split and thoroughly rinsed
100 g celery stalks — halved

For vegetables and seasoning

320 g carrots — peeled and cut into large sections
240 g turnip — peeled and cut into six pieces
420 g Peruvian large-kernel corn (choclo) — cut into six pieces, edible portion only
480 g cassava (yuca) — peeled, cut into large chunks
540 g potatoes — peeled, left as large pieces
360 g green cabbage — cut into six wedges
9 g fine salt — weighed

Method

Start and skim the broth.Put 1100 g trimmed beef and 3300 ml cold water in a large 7–8 litre pot. Bring it slowly to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off the grey froth that rises; lower the heat before it boils vigorously. The water reaches a steady boil and the loose grey foam has been removed. Safety: Maintain raw beef utensils away from cleaned vegetables.
Simmer the beef with aromatics.Add 180 g halved onion, 150 g cleaned leek, 100 g celery and 9 g salt. Cover with the lid slightly offset and simmer gently for 115 minutes, skimming fat if it accumulates. The beef is easily pierced with a fork yet remains in large pieces. Safety: Check that the thickest beef portion reaches at least 63 °C by thermometer and allow at least 3 minutes of rest before service; this recipe continues cooking well beyond that minimum.
Remove the cooked beef and spent aromatics.Lift the beef to a clean covered tray and remove the softened onion, leek and celery from the pot. Skim obvious surface fat from the hot stock with a spoon, leaving the liquid in the pot. The beef remains in coherent chunks and the broth surface has little free fat. Safety: Maintain the cooked beef hot while the vegetables finish.
Cook the firm vegetables first.Return the broth to a gentle simmer. Add 320 g carrot, 240 g turnip and 420 g choclo; cook for 15 minutes with the lid partly on. The corn kernels begin to soften and a knife meets some resistance in the carrot centre. Safety: Choose tongs to avoid splashes from the hot broth.
Add cassava and potatoes.Add 480 g peeled yuca and 540 g potato. Continue simmering for 20 minutes, taking out individual portions with a slotted spoon if one vegetable becomes tender sooner than the others. A knife slides through the thickest yuca and potato pieces without resistance, and the pieces still hold together. Safety: Cassava must be properly peeled, cooked fully and freed of any tough central fibre before eating.
Finish with cabbage.Add 360 g cabbage wedges to the simmering broth and cook for 7 minutes, keeping the wedges together as much as possible. The thick cabbage ribs bend when lifted but the leaves have not dissolved into the broth. Safety: Maintain the broth hot; avoid raw-meat contact on serving utensils.
Return beef and serve the stock.Put the reserved beef and any early-removed vegetables back into the simmering broth for 2 minutes to heat through. Divide broth into six soup bowls and distribute beef, corn, yuca, potato, cabbage, carrot and turnip among the plates. The portions are piping hot and the beef is tender, with vegetables intact instead of mashed. Safety: Serve hot; for any leftovers divide solids and broth among shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Practical

Success points

A gentle simmer draws flavour without pounding the root vegetables into the broth. Use a large enough pot; remove each vegetable when the centre becomes tender. Rested and temperature-checked beef is a safety requirement, while fork tenderness is a separate quality check.

Serving, planning and substitutions

Serve hot broth in bowls with the larger beef and vegetable pieces on a platter or distributed among individual bowls. This is a substantial main-course serving, not a delicate starter. Avoid boiling the vegetables to the point of disintegration. If cooking ahead, bring the finished food rapidly into shallow containers and refrigerate at 4 °C or below within 2 hours; separate the solid components to speed cooling. Reheat the portion being served to 74 °C. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Shin and brisket both benefit from slow simmering, but cooking time depends on the cut and size. A comparable braising cut is an acceptable practical change, not a reason to drop the doneness or safety check.

Troubleshooting

Beef remains tough: The connective tissue has not yet softened. Keep the broth gently simmering until the meat yields to a fork; extend elapsed time rather than turning the heat high. Vegetables break apart: Too much heat or late removal. Lift each vegetable out as it becomes tender and return it to the pot only to reheat. Broth tastes greasy: Rendered fat has not been skimmed. Skim the surface carefully before serving; do not discard all the stock.

FAQ

Why keep the vegetables in large pieces? Each root and cob should retain its shape while absorbing the broth. Can I cook the beef faster? A different cut or pressure cooker changes timing; with this stovetop method, wait for fork tenderness and verify the safety temperature.

Nutrition per 1 of 6 portions including listed accompaniments

Serving size1 of 6 portions including listed accompaniments
Calories632 kcal
Carbohydrates73 g
Protein47 g
Fat19 g
Fibre9 g
Sodium790 mg

Allergens and food safety

This formula has no intentionally added fish, crustacean, wheat, egg, milk or soy ingredient, but commercially packed components and shared equipment require label and cross-contact checks. Beef is the defining animal protein. Whole-cut beef must reach 63 °C with a 3-minute rest; check by thermometer, not colour. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat to 74 °C.

Closing

The result is a generous hot beef broth with distinct roots and corn. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer and take vegetables out as they become tender.