Okay, so the other day I was feeling adventurous in the kitchen, and I decided to tackle a Peruvian dish called Cau Cau Peruano. I’d heard about it, seen some pictures, and thought, “Why not?” It looked interesting, and I’m always up for trying something new.
Getting Started
First things first, I had to figure out what this dish even was. I did a little digging and found out it’s basically a tripe stew. Yeah, tripe. I’ve never cooked with tripe before, so this was going to be interesting. I found a recipe online, and thankfully it seemed pretty straightforward. No crazy ingredients I’d never heard of, which is always a plus.
Prepping the Ingredients
I gathered all my ingredients: tripe (obviously), potatoes, onions, garlic, aji amarillo paste (which I had to hunt down at a specialty store), some herbs like mint and parsley, and a few other spices. I washed and chopped everything, getting it all ready to go. The tripe, well, that was a new experience. I rinsed it several times, as the recipe instructed, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. It’s definitely got a… unique texture.
The Cooking Process
The first step was to boil the tripe. I put it in a big pot of water with some salt and let it simmer for a good long while. The recipe said this would help tenderize it, and I was definitely hoping that was true.
While the tripe was doing its thing, I sautéed the onions and garlic in a separate pan. Once they were nice and soft, I added the aji amarillo paste and let it cook for a bit, releasing all those lovely, fragrant aromas. It smelled amazing, I have to say.
When the tripe was finally tender (which took a while!), I drained it and added it to the pan with the onion mixture. Then, I tossed in the potatoes, some chicken broth, and the herbs. I stirred everything together, brought it to a simmer, and covered it.
I let the stew simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes were cooked through. The sauce had thickened up nicely, and the whole kitchen smelled fantastic.
The Final Result
Finally, it was time to eat! I ladled the Cau Cau into bowls and garnished it with a bit of chopped parsley. And you know what? It was pretty good! The tripe was surprisingly tender, and the flavors were really well-balanced. The aji amarillo paste gave it a nice, subtle heat, and the herbs added a touch of freshness. It was definitely a successful culinary adventure. I might even make it again sometime!
