Puca picante Peru (spicy potato, pork and beet stew)

A favourite dish in the Andean region of Ayacucho, Peru, the name puca picante is a combination of the Quechua word for red and Spanish word for spicy. Originally, it was made to nourish communal activities like harvests, or the building of houses and roads. Ají panca is a Peruvian mild chilli paste – buy online from mexgrocer.co.uk. 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY

skinless pork belly 900g, fat trimmed, cut into bite-sized chunks vegetable oil 1 tsp

white onion 1, chopped

garlic 3 cloves, minced

ají panca paste 8 tbsp

tomato 1 medium, peeled and diced

ground cumin 1 tsp

toasted peanuts 70g, coarsely chopped

cooked beetroot 1, peeled and chopped

small new potatoes 450g, halved

beef stock 475ml white rice and salad to serve

1 Sear the pork in its own fat, in two batches, in a medium pan over a medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown all over. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

2 In the same pan, heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat and fry the onion and garlic for 7 minutes, then add the ají panca paste with the tomato, stirring continuously. Stir in the cumin and season.

3 Put the peanuts, beetroot and 120ml of water in a food processor or blender, and whizz to a purée, then add to the pan with the browned meat, potatoes and stock. Stir well and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the meat tender. Serve with white rice and salad.

PER SERVING 967 kcals | fat 69G saturates 19.9G | carbs 27.8G | sugars 9.7G fibre 7G | protein 55.1G | salt 1.9G