| COUNTRY | Bolivia |
| Dishes | Papas a La Huancaina |
| Time | 30 minutes |
| Effort | 4/10 |
| Rough cost | £5 |
| COUNTRY | Bolivia |
| Capital | La Paz (legislative), Sucre (judicial) |
| Population | 11, 469, 896 (82nd largest) |
| Land mass | 1, 098, 581 km2 (27th largest) |
| Languages | Spanish (+ 33 other official languages!) |
| Religions | n/a |
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Bolivia is a land-locked country in west-central South America, with its landscape ranging from the peaks of Andes in the west to the Amazon Basin in the lowlands. It is a multiethnic country full of indigenous culture, language and flair.
Bridget made Papas a la Huancaina which is a potato-based salad dish that is very popular staple of any pot-luck in Bolivia. Interestingly, it has a unique peanut creamy sauce. This was SO good. The sauce is nutty, creamy, with just a bit of cheesiness + heat. It was also so easy to make – so go for it!
Hope everyone is doing ok.
RECIPES
Papas a la Huancaina
INGREDIENTS
Sauce
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (not as traditional as roasted peanuts but works exactly the same)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Splash of milk / cream *I used vegan Oatly creme (this adds a creamy texture)
- 3 garlic gloves, finely chopped
- 1 hawt fresh chilli, finely chopped (can sub with hot sauce)
- 1 tbsp vegan yeast flakes (this is for the cheese flavour – traditionally use queso fresco)
- salt + pepper to taste
Salad
- 10 medium potatoes, boiled, cooled + chopped
- 1 medium lettuce
- 3 tomatoes
- 5 boiled eggs
- 1/2 cup black olives
- Handful of parsley
METHOD
- In a blender, blitz the peanut butter (or peanuts) with 1 cup of water and whatever milk/cream product you desire. Add the hot sauce at this stage if using. It should form a smooth, liquid paste.
- In a pan, fry the garlic and chilli (if using) in some veg oil to brown it.
- Then add the peanut paste and cook on a low heat until the desired consistency is reached. Add whatever cheesiness you want right at the end, along with the salt + pepper.
- Make sure to taste the sauce! If its not spicy enough – add more chilli! If its not cheesy enough – add more cheese / yeast flakes. If its too thick – add some more water or creaminess!
- To serve, put all the salad ingredients onto the table & let people build their own plate! In Bolivia, you would put a big lettuce leaf down and put all the other ingredients on top. YUM!
Gracias and see you in Bosnia + Herzegovinia! M + B x
