Name: Tacacho con chorizo amazónico
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 56 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1200 g green cooking plantains, peeled; cut into 3 cm pieces; 35 g pork lard, melted; 90 g cooked crispy pork crackling, finely chopped; 5 g fine salt, for tacacho; 100 ml neutral frying oil, for pan frying; about 20 ml expected retained; 480 g raw Amazonian-style pork chorizo, four sausages; source from a reputable supplier; 50 ml water, for covered initial sausage cooking

Tacacho with Amazonian chorizo and mashed green plantain

Yield 4 servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 36 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 56 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Tacacho with Amazonian chorizo and mashed green plantain

Tacacho is a recognisable Amazonian Peruvian preparation in which green cooking plantain is cooked and pounded, commonly enriched with pork fat and pieces of crisp pork. It is not a sweet plantain mash.

In San Martín and nearby Amazonian areas, meat served with tacacho may include cecina, chorizo or both. This serving puts the chorizo in the leading role, rather than adding another whole portion of meat.

A rough, cohesive plantain ball is the goal: enough fat to bind the starch, but not so much that the mixture becomes greasy. The sausage needs a measured internal temperature because its darkening skin does not establish safe doneness.

Ingredients

Tacacho

1200 g green cooking plantains, peeled; cut into 3 cm pieces
35 g pork lard, melted
90 g cooked crispy pork crackling, finely chopped
5 g fine salt, for tacacho
100 ml neutral frying oil, for pan frying; about 20 ml expected retained

Sausage

480 g raw Amazonian-style pork chorizo, four sausages; source from a reputable supplier
50 ml water, for covered initial sausage cooking

Method

Cut green plantains.Peel the firm green cooking plantains and cut the 1200 g flesh into 3 cm sections. The pieces are similar in size and show pale starchy centres.
Fry the plantain.Heat the 100 ml frying oil in a deep-sided skillet over medium heat; fry the plantain in three batches, about 5 minutes per batch, turning until tender inside. Drain thoroughly. A knife enters each piece without a hard core and the surfaces are lightly golden.
Pound with fat.While still hot, crush the fried plantain in a sturdy bowl using a pestle, and mix in the 35 g melted lard, 90 g crisp pork and all 5 g of salt. The mixture clings in rough cohesive chunks without becoming a smooth purée.
Shape the tacacho.With clean hands, firmly shape the mixture into four similar balls on a clean plate. Each ball holds together without cracking at the base.
Cook the chorizo.Place the four raw 120 g sausages in a covered skillet over medium heat with the 50 ml water; cook about 14 minutes, uncovering for the final minutes to brown, and check the centre. Follow the sausage supplier cooking instructions if they require longer heating. The casings are browned and the centre of each raw pork sausage reaches 71 °C.
Plate immediately.Place one tacacho ball and one cooked chorizo on each of four warmed plates. The plantain remains warm and textured beside fully cooked sausage.

Practical

Practical guidance

Choose green, firm plantains; ripe yellow ones will taste sweet and form a softer mass. Pound them while warm, when the starch is still pliable. Amazonian-style pork chorizo varies by producer. Buy it from a food-safe supplier and determine whether it is raw or already fully cooked; the directions here assume raw sausage. Keep any leftovers in shallow sealed containers at 4 °C or lower and use within 3–4 days. Reheat sausage and tacacho until they reach 74 °C throughout.

Control points

The balls crumble.The plantain cooled before pounding or was undercooked; work while warm and ensure the centre is tender.
The sausage colours too quickly.The pan is too hot; reduce the heat and cook covered until the centre reaches 71 °C.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 sausage and 1 large tacacho ball
Calories1030 kcal
Carbohydrate94 g
Protein31 g
Fat59 g
Fibre7 g
Sodium1150 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains pork. Check chorizo labels for any added allergens, which vary by producer. Avoid cross-contact from raw sausage. Check the thickest part of raw pork chorizo reaches 71 °C; a dark casing is only a colour cue, not a safety test.

Closing

Result: Rough green plantain balls with browned pork sausage.
Decisive control: Pound hot green plantain and cook raw chorizo to 71 °C.