Name: Espesado chiclayano
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 113 min
Total time: 138 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g beef shin — boneless, trimmed and cut into cubes; 1200 ml water — for beef stock and blending; 200 g fresh green beans — trimmed and halved; 5 g salt — divided between broth and finishing; 550 g fresh choclo kernels — cut from cobs; 120 g loche squash — washed and finely grated; 85 g culantro — leaves and tender stems; 60 g ají amarillo — seeded and chopped; 60 g spring onion — thinly sliced; 140 g red onion — finely diced; 15 g garlic — crushed; 25 g sunflower oil; 2 g ground cumin

Espesado chiclayano with beef, choclo and loche

Yield 4 servings

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 113 minutes

Passive time 0 minutes

Total time 138 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Espesado chiclayano with beef, choclo and loche

The unmistakable body of espesado chiclayano comes from ground maize cooked directly into a savoury broth. This is a northern Peruvian preparation associated with Chiclayo and Lambayeque; its green tone comes primarily from ground culantro and other fresh ingredients rather than food colouring.

Both beef and pork variations are documented. This preparation uses beef shin, fresh choclo and the locally distinctive loche squash; the beef cooks first to provide a full-bodied broth, then the maize purée thickens it. The kernels must be ground finely enough to soften before the stew is served.

The finished consistency should sit between soup and stiff porridge. If a spoon drags across the pot and leaves a fleeting trail, it is close; keep stirring over low heat to stop the maize from catching on the bottom. Small amounts of water are reserved for loosening the pot without making it thin.

Ingredients

Meat broth

500 g beef shin — boneless, trimmed and cut into cubes
1200 ml water — for beef stock and blending
200 g fresh green beans — trimmed and halved
5 g salt — divided between broth and finishing

Green maize base

550 g fresh choclo kernels — cut from cobs
120 g loche squash — washed and finely grated
85 g culantro — leaves and tender stems
60 g ají amarillo — seeded and chopped
60 g spring onion — thinly sliced
140 g red onion — finely diced
15 g garlic — crushed
25 g sunflower oil
2 g ground cumin

Method

Simmer the beef broth.Simmer beef shin in 900 ml of the water with 3 g salt for 65 minutes, keeping the pot partly covered and skimming foam. The meat is tender enough to cut easily with a spoon. The beef must reach at least 63 °C and rest three minutes; continued simmering tenderises it. Keep utensils separate.
Tenderise the green beans.Add green beans and simmer with the beef for 15 minutes, until they are tender but still keep their shape. A bean is easy to bite and the broth smells savoury.
Blend the green corn base.Blend choclo, grated loche, culantro, ají amarillo and spring onion with 200 ml of the measured water into a fine, green mixture. The mixture pours in a thick stream without large maize pieces.
Sweat onion and garlic.In a frying pan cook red onion and garlic in sunflower oil for 7 minutes; sprinkle in cumin and stir for one more minute. The onion looks translucent and smells sweet, without dark scorching.
Thicken with ground choclo.Scrape the onion base into the beef pot, then pour in the blended choclo while stirring continuously. Cook gently for 22 minutes. The raw-starch taste disappears and a spoon leaves a short trail through the stew. Stir from the bottom to avoid scorching.
Set the final consistency.If necessary add the remaining 100 ml water gradually, then season with the remaining 2 g salt and stir for 3 minutes before serving. The finished stew falls from a spoon in heavy ribbons. Keep piping hot until served.

Practical

Success points

Stir the ground maize on low heat until its raw edge disappears and the texture is cohesive.

Practical guidance

Use fresh choclo rather than dried popcorn maize. Its moisture and starch make a different, smooth-thickening base; ordinary canned sweetcorn can change both sweetness and structure and is not an equal swap. Loche has a distinctive Lambayeque flavour. An ordinary squash changes the regional profile, so this recipe does not replace it without identifying the dish as an adaptation. Do not leave the thickened maize unattended; it can stick and splutter. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate, and loosen with a splash of water when reheating to 74 °C.

Control points

The broth never thickensThe choclo may be too coarse or the base may not have simmered sufficiently. Blend more finely next time and continue stirring gently.
The stew sticksThe maize has settled on a hot patch of the pot. Lower the heat and stir across the whole bottom with a flat spoon.

Nutrition per 1 of 4 servings

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories515 kcal
Carbohydrate58 g
Protein33 g
Fat17 g
Fibre8 g
Sodium690 mg

Allergens and food safety

Beef must cook fully, never judged by surface colour alone. Hot thick starch mixtures can splatter when stirred. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C after prompt refrigeration.

Closing

What to expect: Ground choclo and culantro thicken beef stock into a spoonable green stew.
Key control: Stir the ground maize on low heat until its raw edge disappears and the texture is cohesive.