Silpancho Traditional Bolivian Meal Recipes

SILPANCHO FROM COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch slices.
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a deep skillet. Cook sliced potatoes in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Pour bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Season beef with salt and press into the bread crumbs until evenly coated.
• Heat remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil in the deep skillet. Cook beef in batches until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack in eggs and cook until set, about 5 minutes.
• Combine onions, tomatoes, chile peppers, and olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt.
• Layer rice, potatoes, beef, and fried eggs on serving plates. Top with onion and tomato mixture.

SILPANCHO (TRADITIONAL BOLIVIAN MEAL)

Steps:

• 24 HOURS MAKE AHEAD PREPARATION:.
• PREPARE POTATOES: Add whole peeled potatoes to boiling lightly salted water. Boil about 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked but still firm (overcooking will cause slicing thin to be more difficult). Put potatoes in the fridge to cool (this can be done the day before).
• PREPARE RICE: Cook rice as directed (this can be done the day before). Dice a 1/2 red pepper and 1/4 cup red onion. Put in a container and add 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro or 1 tsp dried cilantro. Store container in fridge until ready to fry rice (this can be done the day before).
• PREPARE MEAT: Lightly dust both sides of meat with Adobo Seasoning Con Cumin (just tap it out, don't shake on).
• Pour some of the bread crumbs onto a plate. Lay one slice of meat over the crumbs, sprinkle more bread crumbs on top and pound into meat using a meat mallet (or make a fist and pound with the side of your hand). Flip the meat over and sprinkle more bread crumbs on the other side if needed and pound again so that both sides are well covered in crumbs and meat is flattened out. Repeat on each slice of meat. Store in fridge until ready to cook (this can be done the day before).
• PREPARE SALSA: Dice tomatoes, onions and jalapeños and mix together. Store in the fridge until ready to serve (this can be done the day before). (Time Saver: Use a food processor to chop onions and jalapeño and then stir hand diced tomatoes).
• DAY OF COOKING:.
• FRY RICE: Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add cooked rice and prepared red pepper, red onion & cilantro. Toss well. Add 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) and Cook 10-15 minutes tossing frequently. Remove and keep warm in covered serving dish.
• FRY POTATOES: While the rice is cooking, heat another skillet over moderately high heat and pour oil so that it covers the entire bottom and is about 1/8 deep. Slice cooled potatoes about 1/2" thick. Add slices one at a time until you have 1 layer on the bottom of the pan and there is space between each one. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Cover and keep warm.
• FRY MEAT: When rice is done, add about oil to emptied skillet so that it is about 1/4-1/2" deep and heat so that it is hot, but not smoking. Place a few slices of meat in skillet and cook about 1.5 minutes or until edges become golden brown and meat actually lifts up in the center. Flip and cook on other side about 1 minute or until cooked through. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Repeat with remaining meat. Cover and keep warm.
• FRY EGGS: (Begin this just before serving your meal) When the potatoes are done, use the same skillet for the eggs reducing heat to medium low. (TIP: Make sure skillet has cooled before adding eggs - you don't want them to cook too fast or the egg whites will become hard before the yolks are cooked). Add eggs individually so they remain separate and fry just until yolks are cooked, flipping once. Serve immediately.
• PLATING THE FOOD: On each plate, serve about 2-3 pieces of meat topped with prepared salsa, about a cup of rice, 5 potato slices and 2 eggs (salted if desired).