← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 700 g beef heart (traditional) or rump or sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces
• 3 tbsp Ají panca paste
• 1 tbsp Ají amarillo paste (optional)
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 60 ml red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for basting
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 2 boiled potatoes, sliced thickly, to serve (optional)
• 1 corn cob, boiled and cut into rounds (optional)

Method

1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Add the beef, turn to coat and cover. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for heart. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 min.
2. Thread 3–4 pieces of meat onto each skewer. Pour the leftover marinade into a small bowl, add 2 tbsp oil and keep it for basting.
3. Heat a barbecue or a ridged grill pan until very hot. Cook the skewers for 2–3 min per side, brushing with the marinade as you go, until charred on the outside and still slightly pink inside. Heart toughens if overcooked, so keep it quick.
4. Serve straight away with boiled potato slices, corn and a spicy ají sauce.

Tips

• Beef heart is cheap, lean and tastes like a rich steak; ask the butcher to trim off the fat and sinew for you.
• Brush the potato slices with marinade and grill them alongside the skewers, the way Lima street cooks do.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Eat Peru Peru Delights