In need of Bolivian Cooking tips?

Question

I have procrastinated until today to figure out what I should cook for tomorrow. Considering that a lot of dishes are made day before and sit until cooking time I need Help!!.

I would like to make lechon I have the basics down, can any one offer any tips on better tasting lechon,
or
Can someone suggest an easier bolivian meal to cook for 8-12 people ......
Any tip is helpful!

Answer 1

There are many variations of this traditional Bolivian dish, probably as many as there are cooks. I chose this particular one because it was simple, straightforward and, as it was written for a non-Bolivian audience, I could understand the list of ingredients. Finding the aj� amarillo, or yellow pepper, proved a challenge, none of my local stores carried it. I finally found it at the Supermercados Vallarta in Los Angeles, but then only in sauce rather than powder form. Using that was my major deviation from the original recipe.

I didn't think much of the final results. While spicy, I felt the chicken lacked flavor. Mike, however, really liked it as did Mika (though the sauce was too spicy for her). I served it with steamed rice; boiled potatoes and a tomato/onion sauce are other classical accompaniments.


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Picante de Pollo
Ingredients

4 tsp. aj� amarillo sauce.
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
water
3 tps. vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
� tsp. ground oregano
a dash of cinnamon
3 � lbs chicken pieces
2 small carrots, julienne
1 tbsp. bread crumbs
Instructions

In a small bowl, combine aj� amarillo, pepper, salt and ground cumin with 1/4 cup of water. Mix and set aside.

In a large pot, heat oil. Add the chopped onions and fry until golden. Add the aj� amarillo mixture, the oregano, the cinnamon and � cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook until the water boils off. Add an additional � cup of water and repeat.

Add the chicken pieces, coat with the onions, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add � cup of water, mix, cover again and simmer for � hour.

Add the julienne carrots and simmer for 15 more minutes. Uncover, add the bread crumbs and adjust the seasoning.

---as how to have a better tasting lechon, i have no idea..its usually just the right amount of salt and your dipping sauce...shoukd be made of liver..Im clueless..sorry

Answer 2

Wow, I have lots of cooking tips. In the interest of saving time, here are a few generalities: -whatever you're cooking, it's almost always best to cook it until it's JUST DONE. Overcooking will make meats dry and tough, and it will make vegetables mushy. It's best to err on the side of "undercooked"; you can always cook the food longer, but once it's overcooked, you can't salvage it. An obvious exception to this rule is anything slow-cooked, like a pot roast or a stew. Ane even then, don't cook the vegetables along with the meat...add them for the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking, or else they will get mushy. -uniformity is everything. When a recipe/dish calls for various chopped, sliced, diced, or minced ingredients, make sure all the pieces of all the ingredients are approximately the same size, unless the recipe specifies otherwise. The pieces will cook at the same rate, and to the same degree of doneness, as they were intended to. Exception: anything that will be consumed raw, like salad ingredients or fresh fruit. Some variance in size and texture is a good thing. -don't forget your mise-en-place (French for "setting in place"). Whenever you are preparing anything, have all the ingredients, cookware, measuring devices, cutlery, etc. within arm's reach BEFORE you crack the first egg or apply heat to anything. Also, "prep" all ingredients as necessary before you actually begin cooking anything (chop the veggies, slice the chicken breast into cubes, whatever). You don't want to be chopping the onion while the chicken is already browning in the pan...by the time you finish chopping, the chicken could be burnt. I have alot more, but I would have to say those are my top three.