Name: Qapchi ayacuchano
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 48 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1000 g yellow or huayro potatoes, whole and scrubbed; 1800 ml water, for potato boiling; drain afterward; 450 g pasteurized fresh Andean-style cheese, crumbled; 150 ml pasteurized whole milk; 90 g spring onions, green sections finely chopped; 35 g rocoto chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped; 12 g fresh huacatay leaves, washed and finely chopped; 3 g fine salt

Qapchi ayacuchano: fresh cheese, rocoto and potatoes

Yield 4 servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 28 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 48 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Qapchi ayacuchano: fresh cheese, rocoto and potatoes

Qapchi, also written kapchi or japchi, belongs to the regional cooking of Ayacucho. It is based on fresh crumbled cheese brightened with rocoto, huacatay and spring onion, served with boiled potatoes.

The cheese is not melted or thickened on the stove. Instead it is mashed and lightly loosened with milk so that it coats the potato. Huacatay has a strong herbal scent; rocoto provides a distinct chilli heat even after its seeds and veins are removed.

Huayro or yellow potatoes are common partners because they have a soft, slightly floury texture that carries the cheese dressing. The potato is cooked separately, keeping the contrast between warm pieces and the fresh cheese mixture.

Ingredients

Potatoes

1000 g yellow or huayro potatoes, whole and scrubbed
1800 ml water, for potato boiling; drain afterward

Fresh cheese dressing

450 g pasteurized fresh Andean-style cheese, crumbled
150 ml pasteurized whole milk
90 g spring onions, green sections finely chopped
35 g rocoto chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
12 g fresh huacatay leaves, washed and finely chopped
3 g fine salt

Method

Simmer the potatoes.Put the 1000 g scrubbed potatoes in a pan with the 1800 ml water; simmer over medium heat for 28 minutes and drain. A thin knife passes to the centre without encountering a hard core.
Prepare the cheese.In a wide bowl, crumble all 450 g fresh cheese with a fork, leaving some small soft curds. The cheese has a granular, moist texture without large firm lumps.
Chop the aromatics.Slice the 90 g spring-onion greens, chop the 12 g huacatay and finely mince the 35 g deseeded rocoto, handling it with care. The chilli is fine enough to spread evenly through the cheese.
Moisten the dressing.Mix the cheese with spring onion, huacatay, rocoto and 3 g salt, then gradually stir in the full 150 ml milk. The mixture becomes a thick, softly spoonable cheese cream, not a thin pourable liquid.
Plate.Peel the potatoes as soon as they can be handled, quarter them, divide onto four plates and spoon over the cheese mixture. The yellow potato remains in identifiable chunks beneath the flecked cheese.

Practical

Practical guidance

Use fresh, pasteurized, moderately salty cheese that crumbles easily; aged hard cheese will not create the same tender curds. Rocoto can remain very hot even without seeds. Wear gloves when chopping and wash the board and knife before handling anything eaten without cooking. Serve soon after assembling. Refrigerate any remaining cheese dressing at 4 °C or below and use within 1–2 days; refrigerate the potatoes separately and reheat them to 74 °C before a later serving.

Control points

The cheese sauce turns runny.The cheese was too wet or the milk was poured too fast; choose well-drained cheese and stir in the measured milk slowly.
The rocoto dominates.The pieces are uneven and concentrated; mince finely so every spoonful contains a small, even amount.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 cheese-and-potato servings
Calories420 kcal
Carbohydrate49 g
Protein20 g
Fat17 g
Fibre5 g
Sodium510 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk. Check the fresh cheese is made with pasteurized milk. Refrigerate the fresh cheese mixture promptly. Wash the huacatay and keep a clean board for the ready-to-eat herbs after preparing rocoto.

Closing

Result: A cool rocoto-and-cheese dressing over tender potatoes.
Decisive control: Crumble rather than melt the cheese; mince rocoto evenly.