Seco de Beef Chuck — Cilantro-Braised Stew with Carrots

Ingredients

• 2 lb Beef Chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 cups Carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large bunches cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp ají amarillo paste
• 1 cup dark beer
• 1½ cups beef stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Season and brown the Beef Chuck in oil in a heavy pot in batches until deeply crusted, about 10 minutes. Crowding the pot here is the single most common way this dish comes out flat.
2. Cook the onion 8 minutes, then the garlic, cumin, and ají amarillo paste for 2 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet.
3. Blitz the cilantro with ½ cup of the stock until it is a bright green puree with no stem fibers.
4. Return the meat, add the beer, remaining stock, and the cilantro puree. Cover and simmer very gently 60–75 minutes until the meat pulls apart with a spoon.
5. Add the Carrots for the last 20 minutes and the peas for the last 5, so they stay green rather than army-drab.
6. Finish with lime juice and salt. Serve with white rice and canary beans, and expect the sauce to be the part people remember.