Inchicapi (Inchicapi de gallina)
Overview
Inchicapi is a thick chicken soup from the Peruvian Amazon. A hen or chicken is simmered to make a broth, then raw peanuts, roasted and finely ground, are stirred in with a little corn flour to thicken it. Chunks of cassava are cooked in the soup, and it is flavoured with garlic, onion, chilli pepper and a generous handful of sacha culantro, the long-leaved wild coriander of the rainforest. The result is creamy, nutty and savoury, pale gold in colour and very filling. It is served with pieces of the chicken in each bowl, often alongside boiled cassava or plantain.
History
Inchicapi is one of the best-known dishes of the Peruvian selva, the rainforest regions of Loreto, Ucayali, San Martín, Amazonas and Madre de Dios. Its name is usually explained as coming from the Quechua words for peanut and for a thick drink or pudding. It is thought to be of pre-Hispanic origin, and it is traditionally served on birthdays and other special occasions.
Main ingredients
Chicken, peanuts, corn flour, cassava, culantro, garlic. The soup is built on chicken and peanut broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chicken soups · Corn soups · More soups from Peru
Recipe
Method
- 140 min
Simmer the chicken in 3 l water with salt for 40 minutes.
- 2
Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a little oil and add to the pot with the cassava.
- 3
Mix the ground peanuts and corn flour with some broth and stir them into the soup.
- 425 min
Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often, until thick and the cassava is soft.
- 5
Add the culantro, season and serve.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 40m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
