Ceviche De Chochos

Two months in, and I’m becoming nostalgic. Backpacking in Peru was the most incredible journey filled with experiences and amazing people. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing to complain about with my current life, but I miss the spontaneity – not knowing where I’m going tomorrow or who I’ll meet this afternoon. No routine, no ideas. Literally just going with the flow. After reminiscing for a while, I thought I would try and recreate some of the best street food I’ve tasted – Ceviche De Chochos. Even though I was eating it in my house in London, it took me straight back to the bustling street of Huaraz.

Street food is one of my favourite ways of dining. It’s the best way to try traditional local cuisine, and get to know what the locals really eat – without the tourist-traps and over-priced menus. Street food eating is a complete sensory experience too, it’s not just about the taste. Peruvian street food was just what you would expect – corn with hot sauce, ceviche, boiled potatoes, grilled beef heart, quails eggs. The street food was good, but what was even better was the fresh produce. So many different varieties of fruits and vegetables in the oddest shapes and colours. Every time there was a kitchen in the hostel I was staying at, I would make a trip to the local market (supermarkets are almost non-existent) and a make a meal of spectacularly crazy vegetables. Peru has such a diverse climate (packing my backpack was a challenge, I tell you) that it can practically grow anything, and if it can’t then it relies on its equally diverse neighbour, Chile. So much of the fresh produce we buy in the supermarkets here in the UK come from Peru and Chile already, but it’s a completely different taste when you’re eating it at the source.

Potatoes at the market

Restaurants however, weren’t that great. I think I speak for the majority of the backpacking community in Peru that arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) everyday isn’t that exiting. Since I don’t even eat chicken (and this seems to be all they eat in Peru), matters were a bit more difficult when eating out. It usually involved a 10 minuet explanation of what ‘vegeteriana’ meant, and would conclude with arroz con tortilla (rice with omelette) – still not at all exiting. But it was never worth a complaint – a 3 course meal for £2.50 when you’re on a budget is more then you could ask for. Sometimes I would even be lucky enough to get a salad the size of a new-born’s hand. But all jokes aside, the daily Menu Del Dia never stimulated my appetite the same way Ceviche De Chochos did…

It was in the last two weeks of my trip that I discovered this dish. Quite accidentally as well! Unfortunately, I had to get to Lima 5 days earlier than expected to go to the British Embassy (yes, my passport got stolen) so I had to semi-rush my way from Yurimaguas to Huaraz. I arrived in Huaraz at 5am, after 4 night buses in a row, with a total of around 20hours sleep. Trying to cram as much as I could into my last few days there, I had a day of rock climbing ahead of me, not to mention the 4-day-trek (guide-free may I add) at 4700m altitude. When lunch time hit, I realised I only had 45 mins until I would have to go rock-climbing, and had only eaten a punnet of strawberries in the past 18 hours. Blood glucose levels were low; I was hysterically tired and the last thing in the world I wanted to eat was arroz con tortilla. What drew me towards the ceviche cart on the side of the main road I don’t know, but I thought I would try it one last time – “¿Tiene comida vegeteriana?” (I’m half begging, half joking at this point), but – “Si, Ceviche De Chochos”. It must just be a hallucination, right? Vegan ceviche in Peru?! Turns out, I wasn’t hallucinating, nobody had spiked my water with ayahuasca– there is such a thing.

Lupin bean ceviche. Who would have thought something so simple would taste so good?! The lupin beans were marinated in a sour, spicy, tangy marinade with coriander and onions. The flavours were exploding. It was topped with seaweed and Canchita (a semi-popped salted corn) which gave a crunchy texture – something which is eaten daily when traveling in Peru. If only I had discovered this earlier on in my travels.

The memories are something I can take with me forever… and this revolutionary recipe of Ceviche De Chochos.

Recipe

Serves 4

350g cooked lupin beans
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 beef tomato, diced
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 bunch or coriander, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
100ml extra virgin olive oil
few drops of hot sauce (optional) recipe for hot sauce coming soon!
handful of dehydrated seaweed
3 new potatoes
1/2 South American sweet potato (red skin and white flesh)
50ml rapeseed oil (for roasting)
salt, to taste

Method

Preheat the oven 180 C
Dice the potatoes into 1cm cubes, coat in rapeseed oil and salt and roast for 15-20 minuets until crispy.
Soak the seaweed in warm water.
In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped lupin beans (drained), onion, tomato, coriander (reserve a few leaves for garnish)
In a smaller bowl, combine the lime juice, olive oil, chilli and hot sauce (if using).
Combine the mixed chopped ingredients with the sauce. Add salt to taste.
Transfer the Ceviche De Chochos into serving bowl and top with the crispy potatoes, drained seaweed and coriander leaves.
Enjoy cold.