Name: Thimpo de carachi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 720 g fresh whole carachi fish, gutted, scaled if needed, cleaned, about 4–6 small fish; 500 g white potatoes, peeled and halved; 220 g black chuño, previously soaked, peeled and drained, ready to boil; 1200 ml water, for potato and chuño; 1200 ml water, for fish broth; 90 g red onion, thinly sliced; 12 g garlic, crushed; 12 g fresh muña, cleaned aromatic herb sprigs; 2 g ground cumin; 6 g salt; 30 g ají amarillo, finely chopped, for accompanying salsa; 20 g red onion, minced, for accompanying salsa; 15 ml lime juice, for accompanying salsa

Thimpo de carachi — Carachi fish broth with potato, chuño and muña

Yield 4 generous servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 60 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 80 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Thimpo de carachi — Carachi fish broth with potato, chuño and muña

Thimpo de carachi, also written Chawlla Thimpu in the Puno region, is a fish preparation linked to Lake Titicaca. The fish is gently cooked with herbs, onion and garlic while potatoes and chuño are often cooked in a separate pot. Broth may be presented separately from the fish and starchy accompaniments.

Carachi is a small fish native to the lake region; it should not be silently substituted by a generic marine fillet. Muña, a fragrant Andean herb, helps define the broth. Local names such as Chawlla Wallaque describe related preparations, but their presentation can differ, so a single name should not erase those differences.

The simplest reliable home method uses clean, gutted carachi and cooked-and-soaked chuño. Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer to protect delicate fish bodies. The fish may contain many small bones, and the broth should be poured through a sieve before serving alongside the fish.

Ingredients

720 g fresh whole carachi fish, gutted, scaled if needed, cleaned, about 4–6 small fish
500 g white potatoes, peeled and halved
220 g black chuño, previously soaked, peeled and drained, ready to boil
1200 ml water, for potato and chuño
1200 ml water, for fish broth
90 g red onion, thinly sliced
12 g garlic, crushed
12 g fresh muña, cleaned aromatic herb sprigs
2 g ground cumin
6 g salt
30 g ají amarillo, finely chopped, for accompanying salsa
20 g red onion, minced, for accompanying salsa
15 ml lime juice, for accompanying salsa

Method

Boil the potatoes and chuño.Put peeled potatoes and previously softened chuño in a saucepan with 1200 ml water and 3 g salt. Simmer until both are tender; drain and cover. Potatoes pierce easily and the chuño has no hard middle.
Start the herbal broth.Place muña sprigs in the bottom of a separate saucepan. Add 1200 ml water, onion slices, garlic, cumin and 3 g salt; bring just to a gentle simmer. Small bubbles rise and the muña scents the broth without a vigorous boil.
Poach the carachi.Lower cleaned carachi carefully into the simmering herb broth in a single layer. Poach gently until thickest parts of the fish reach 63 °C; lift out without breaking them. Fish flesh separates readily from the backbone and a thermometer reads 63 °C. For food safety, freshwater fish must reach 63 °C; bones remain a choking hazard.
Make the chilli relish.While the fish poaches, combine chopped ají amarillo with the remaining minced red onion and lime juice in a small bowl; keep chilled until serving. The chilli and onion are evenly moistened by lime.
Strain broth and serve.Lift muña stems from the broth and pass the liquid through a fine sieve. Place fish beside portions of potato and chuño, offering the broth separately and a little chilli relish. Each serving has a whole fish with clearly identifiable bones, soft roots and a clear bowl of broth. For food safety, warn diners about fish bones and check each portion carefully, especially for children.

Practical

Success points

Cook carachi gently with muña and prepare potato and chuño separately. Poach the small fish without rolling bubbles and strain the serving broth to catch detached bones.

Serving, storage and substitutions

Serve fish with soft potatoes and chuño on a plate and the herbal broth in a separate bowl. The chilli-onion relish is served to the side. Fish is best served immediately; cool any leftovers quickly, refrigerate at 4 °C or colder for up to 3–4 days, reheat to 74 °C and check again for bones. Trout or mauri appear in related preparations, but each changes the species and cooking time and is not carachi.

Control points

Broth is cloudy and fish breaksthe liquid boiled too vigorously — reduce to a gentle poach.
Chuño centre is hardit had not been fully soaked in advance — use only fully softened, prepared chuño.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories250 kcal
Carbohydrates37 g
Protein20 g
Fat2 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium760 mg

Allergens and food safety

Fish. Whole carachi has small bones; fish must be cooked thoroughly and bones must be removed carefully before swallowing.

Closing

Delicate carachi fish, fragrant muña broth, boiled potatoes and black chuño. Keep fish at a low simmer and strain the broth before presenting separately.

Thimpo de carachi — Carachi fish broth with potato, chuño and muña

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Success points

Serving, storage and substitutions

Control points

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Allergens and food safety

Closing

Peruvian National Dishes

Cecina con yuca

Tortilla de raya

Tiradito nikkei with ají amarillo, soy and ginger