Name: Chanfainita — beef-lung and potato stew
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 92 min
Total time: 127 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 700 g beef lung (bofe), trimmed, raw; 1100 ml fresh water; 15 g fresh hierbabuena sprigs; 650 g white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 170 g red onion, finely chopped; 18 g garlic cloves, minced; 75 g ají panca paste; 25 g ají amarillo paste; 24 ml vegetable oil; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g ground black pepper; 4 g fine salt; 8 g fresh hierbabuena leaves, chopped

Chanfainita — beef-lung and potato stew: ingredients, method and serving guidance

Yield 4 plated portions

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 92 minutes

Passive 10 minutes

Total 127 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Chanfainita — beef-lung and potato stew: ingredients, method and serving guidance

Chanfainita is a Peruvian stew built around bofe, the Spanish name used for lung, especially beef lung in the Lima-style versions represented here. Cubed offal, potato, ají panca and mint make a distinctive combination: dense pieces of meat sit within a soft, red-seasoned potato gravy.

The preparation uses two cooking stages. A preliminary simmer firms and tenderises the lung and produces a broth for the stew. Separately, red onion, garlic and ají panca form a concentrated aderezo; the potatoes then cook in that dressing with diced bofe and measured cooking liquid.

Fresh hierbabuena matters here. Some goes into the first simmer, while a smaller quantity is stirred through at the end to retain a clean aroma. Cut the lung evenly after it cools enough to handle; large irregular pieces are less pleasant to eat and do not distribute as well among the potatoes.

Ingredients

Bofe and cooking liquid

700 g beef lung (bofe), trimmed, raw
1100 ml fresh water
15 g fresh hierbabuena sprigs

Stew

650 g white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
170 g red onion, finely chopped
18 g garlic cloves, minced
75 g ají panca paste
25 g ají amarillo paste
24 ml vegetable oil
2 g ground cumin
1 g ground black pepper
4 g fine salt

Finish

8 g fresh hierbabuena leaves, chopped

Method

Simmer the beef lung.Place 700 g trimmed beef lung in a deep saucepan with 1100 ml fresh water and 15 g hierbabuena sprigs. Bring to a steady simmer, partially cover and cook for 55 minutes. Skim foam and turn the pieces as needed. The lung has contracted, is firm throughout and offers little resistance to a skewer. Handle raw offal on a dedicated board; simmer thoroughly rather than judging safety by colour.
Cool and cube the bofe.Lift the lung onto a clean tray and let it cool for 10 minutes until safe to handle; strain and reserve 450 ml of the cooking liquid, then dice the lung into roughly 1 cm pieces. Discard the herb stems and unneeded liquid. The lung can be cut cleanly into even, compact cubes.
Soften the onion.Heat 24 ml vegetable oil in a second heavy pot over medium heat. Add 170 g chopped red onion and cook for 7 minutes, stirring until soft rather than browned. The onion becomes translucent and collapses easily under the spoon.
Cook the chilli dressing.Add 18 g minced garlic, 75 g ají panca paste, 25 g ají amarillo paste, 2 g cumin and 1 g pepper. Stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes to mellow the raw garlic and chile. The dressing looks cohesive, glossy and no longer smells sharply raw.
Braise lung and potatoes.Add the diced beef lung, 650 g potato cubes, 450 ml reserved broth and 4 g salt. Bring to a simmer, cover loosely and cook for 21 minutes; stir occasionally and test a potato cube at the centre. The potatoes yield to a fork and the stew coats the lung cubes without becoming dry.
Freshen with mint.Stir in 8 g chopped hierbabuena leaves; cook gently for 2 minutes so the mint disperses. Taste for balance without adding unmeasured salt. Small green flecks remain visible and the sauce has a herbal aroma.
Divide and serve.Ladle the chanfainita into four warmed bowls, spreading the bofe and potatoes evenly so each serving includes sauce as well as solids. Each bowl has a similar balance of tender potato, chopped lung and thick sauce.

Practical

Points that matter

The initial bofe simmer must come before chopping; this keeps the pieces manageable and evenly cooked. Use measured strained stock from the bofe pan instead of flooding the stew. Add the finishing hierbabuena close to service to keep a fresh herbal scent.

Practical serving and storage

Spoon the stew into warm bowls; the potatoes are part of the main dish, not a side ingredient. Buy cleaned, well-trimmed bovine lung from a reputable licensed butcher and refrigerate promptly. It should be fully simmered before dicing, not merely seared on the outside. Keep 450 ml of the strained cooking liquid for the stew and discard the rest; this prevents accidental dilution. The target is a soft potato stew that coats rather than floods the bofe. Transfer leftovers to shallow containers within two hours, hold at 4 °C or below for no more than three to four days, and heat portions to 74 °C before eating. The potato sauce thickens after refrigeration, so stir during reheating to avoid a cold centre.

Control points

Stew is wateryThe pot was covered too tightly or potatoes were very waxy. Simmer uncovered briefly while stirring to concentrate the sauce.
Lung cubes are rubberyThe initial simmer was insufficient or pieces were cut very large. Continue a gentle covered cook rather than raising the heat abruptly.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Serving size1 of 4 plated portions
Calories382 kcal
Carbohydrates37.3 g
Protein32.9 g
Fat12.0 g
Fibre5.6 g
Sodium585 mg

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: No major allergen is intentionally added by this ingredient list; check ají pastes, stock-like seasonings and the meat supply for cross-contact. Food safety: Bofe is raw offal and must be kept refrigerated and away from ready-to-eat foods. Simmer it thoroughly before dicing; do not use colour alone as evidence of safe cooking. Refrigerate the cooked stew within two hours at 4 °C or below in shallow containers. Use within three to four days and reheat until 74 °C throughout.

Closing

Tender bofe cubes and white potato in a red, mint-scented sauce. Cook the lung separately before dicing and finishing in ají panca aderezo.