Patasca moqueguana

Soak the mote.Soak 500 g dried mote maize in a bowl with part of the measured 3800 ml liquid for 480 minutes; drain, keeping the total cooking-liquid measure at 3800 ml. The mote grains expand slightly and the chuño softens enough to cut without splintering. Keep the soak refrigerated at 4 °C or below.

Open the maize grains.Transfer the mote and its 1000 ml soaking water to a very large soup pot with 2300 ml of the remaining measured liquid; reserve the 500 ml chuño soaking water and simmer the maize for 105 minutes. Many grains have opened and the kernels can be pressed with a spoon.

Simmer three meats.Add 500 g lamb, 500 g beef and 350 g pork belly, and continue a low simmer for 105 minutes, skimming the first foam. Meat pieces soften and the broth gains body without becoming a paste. Beef, lamb and pork are cooked thoroughly; use a thermometer for thick pieces and observe the 63 °C plus 3-minute rest threshold for whole muscle.

Make the red seasoning.In a frying pan heat 30 ml oil and cook 22 g garlic, 70 g ají panca and 5 g achiote for 10 minutes, stirring. The paste darkens slightly and smells cooked, never burnt.

Finish the soup with roots.Stir the seasoning into the pot, add 650 g potato, 200 g softened chuño with its reserved 500 ml soaking water, and 12 g salt, and cook 25 minutes. Both potato and chuño are completely tender, and the mote remains discernible.

Add mint at the end.Stir in all 25 g chopped mint and simmer 5 minutes before portioning into eight large bowls. The soup is fragrant with mint and has separate meat and maize textures. Remove or warn about lamb bone pieces before serving.