Olluquito con Charqui (Andean Olluco Stew with Dried Meat)
Thin strips of olluco, a crunchy, colourful Andean tuber, stewed with shredded charqui (dried meat) in a garlicky ají panca sauce. An ancient Andean dish served with white rice.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prepare the charqui
Soak the in 1 liter of water overnight, then drain and boil it in another 1 liter of fresh water over medium-high heat for 15 minutes (2 liters of water total). Drain, pound lightly with a mallet or rolling pin, and pull apart into fine threads. (If using fresh beef skirt instead, simmer it in the same way for 40 minutes before shredding.)
- 150 g
- 2 liters water
✅ Done when: the meat is tender enough to pull apart easily into thin threads
Wash the ollucos
Rinse the olluco strips under cold running water several times, rubbing gently, to remove their slippery coating. Drain well; do not soak them for long or they will lose their crunch.
- 800 g olluco strips
✅ Done when: the rinse water runs clear and the strips feel less slippery
Make the aderezo
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Stew
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Serve
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Prepare the charqui
Soak the in 1 liter of water overnight, then drain and boil it in another 1 liter of fresh water over medium-high heat for 15 minutes (2 liters of water total). Drain, pound lightly with a mallet or rolling pin, and pull apart into fine threads. (If using fresh beef skirt instead, simmer it in the same way for 40 minutes before shredding.)
- 150 g
- 2 liters water
✅ Done when: the meat is tender enough to pull apart easily into thin threads
Wash the ollucos
Rinse the olluco strips under cold running water several times, rubbing gently, to remove their slippery coating. Drain well; do not soak them for long or they will lose their crunch.
- 800 g olluco strips
✅ Done when: the rinse water runs clear and the strips feel less slippery
Make the aderezo
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Stew
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Both ingredients are ancient Andean foods. Olluco is a tuber grown in the Andes for thousands of years, with yellow, pink or purple skin. Charqui is meat dried in the cold mountain air, a way of preserving it long before refrigeration (the English word 'jerky' comes from it).
Today the dish is popular in Lima too, as a classic of Peruvian home cooking.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The crunchy olluco and savoury dried meat make a unique texture you won't find outside the Andes.
💡 Fun Fact
Charqui was traditionally made from llama or alpaca meat and carried by Inca messengers on long journeys.
Peruvian Andes
-13.53°S, -71.97°W
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