Pepián is a traditional Guatemalan recipe for the national stew of chicken, seeds, spices and chillies that is the classic street food of Guatemala. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Guatemalan version of: Pepián.
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Pepián shows how Mayan and Spanish culture have blended together over the years in Guatemala, and gives a taste of the heritage of both.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, jointed, or 8 pieces of chicken, skin on
3 medium onions, 1 quartered, 2 whole
1 tbsp (heaped) salt
2 guaque (guajillo) chillies, dried, de-seeded
2 pasa (poblano/mulato) chillies, dried and de-seeded
115g raw pumpkin seeds (pepitoria)
115g sesame seeds
6 large black peppercorns
6 cloves
3 large garlic cloves
1 small bunch coriander
9 roma/plum tomatoes (around 500g)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1⁄2 cinnamon stick
1 quisquil (mirliton/chayote) squash
500g potatoes or root vegetables (eg cassava, sweet potato, tannia)
Method:
Place the chicken pieces in a large pot, then pour over about 3l of water, or enough to cover the chicken. Add the salt and the quartered onion to the water while the chicken boils.
While the chicken is boiling, roast the dried chillies over a medium heat in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Once roasted, crumble the chillies into a mixing bowl; all the roasted ingredients will be combined in this bowl so make sure it’s large enough.
Next, toast the raw pumpkin seeds in the same pan, then add to the mixing bowl. Toast the sesame seeds until golden. Add to the mixing bowl.
Put one whole onion with 6-8 black whole peppercorns and 6 cloves plus the garlic cloves, in the pan, then toast until golden and mix with the seeds.
Toast the fresh coriander the same as the other ingredients. This will become very fragrant. Add to the mixing bowl.
Next, roast the tomatoes until blackened and soft, then add to the other ingredients.
Finally, toast 1 tbsp of dried oregano and the cinnamon, then add to mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, cut the peeled potatoes into large chunks. Cut the quisquil into thick slices and peel. Cut the remaining onion into chunks. These will be added to the chicken pot once the chicken is mostly cooked.
Combine all roasted ingredients and blend with 750ml water. Whizz in a blender to combine fully. Add the mixture to the chicken pot. Continue cooking at a rolling boil until the sauce reduces, add the vegetable and cook until tender. The sauce is typically thin like a soup. This dish can be served in a bowl as a stand alone meal or with rice/tortillas.
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