Cúrcuma

This dish is a classic of Peruvian cuisine. I’m not claiming this recipe is the authentic or one true version — it’s simply the one my mother and her family have made all their lives. They brought this recipe with them from Peru and honestly, I love it. I’ve tried ají de gallina at several Peruvian restaurants and the recipe isn’t even the same in all of them. So, as the saying goes, “to each their own,” and here I’m offering you a finger-licking-good Peruvian ají de gallina.

What do we need?

• 1 chicken

• 4 onions

• 4 slices of sandwich bread

• A splash of milk

• Turmeric

• Ground ají paste (Peruvian hot pepper)

• 4 potatoes

• 4 eggs

• Salt

How do we make it?

• First, cook the chicken in a large pot with plenty of water and a bit of salt. Cook it until it’s nice and tender (you’ll know it’s done when the meat falls off the bone easily).

• Take the chicken out, strain the broth, and set it aside.

• Once the chicken has cooled down a bit, remove the skin and bones and shred it. Set the shredded chicken aside.

• Boil the potatoes and eggs and set aside.

• Meanwhile, crumble the slices of sandwich bread and soak them in milk.

• Chop the onions very finely and toss them into a pan with olive oil to sweat them down. Cook them over medium-low heat slowly so they soften without browning. We want them really soft, almost like a yellow paste.

• Once the onion is ready, add the milk-soaked bread and stir well.

• Slowly add the chicken broth bit by bit, stirring continuously so it all comes together.

• Add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric, which will give it that signature yellow color.

• Add the shredded chicken and stir again. If it looks too thick, add a bit more chicken broth. The texture shouldn’t be like mashed potatoes, but not like soup either — somewhere in between.

• Adjust the salt and add a bit of heat (ground ají paste).

• On the side, peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters.

• And there you have it — your ají de gallina. All that’s left is to serve it alongside the boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Now dig in, nomás!

Tips:

• A whole chicken makes a pretty generous amount of ají de gallina, so if you’d like, you can use half of the cooked chicken for this recipe and save the other half for a delicious chicken and pineapple salad, for example. :-)

• At some restaurants I’ve had this dish served with white rice instead of boiled potatoes.