Pepián de pavita is a Peruvian coastal stew made with browned turkey pieces cooked in a thick sauce of ground corn, chickpeas, and peanuts, seasoned with ají amarillo. The ground corn gives the dish its creamy texture and characteristic slightly sweet flavor.
It combines browning the turkey with a slow-cooked corn sauce, resulting in a comforting dish very popular in Lima home cooking.
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Peruvian Pepián de Pavita
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
Peruvian preparation featuring pavita y maíz molido, adapted for a home kitchen with clear measurements.
Ingredients
- 800 g turkey pieces
- 3 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/8 cup peanuts
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 60 g ají amarillo paste
- Ground cilantro, to taste
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Brown the turkey, season the turkey pieces and brown them in hot oil on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Make the base, in the same pot, cook the onion, garlic, and ground ají amarillo until you get a concentrated base.
- Grind the corn, blend the corn kernels with a little water until you get a thick cream.
- Cook the stew, stir the ground corn, chickpeas, and peanuts into the base, add the turkey, and cook over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve, adjust the salt, add ground cilantro, and serve hot with white rice.
Chef’s Tips
- Stir the stew constantly so the corn doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Browning the turkey well before cooking adds more flavor to the stew.
- Adjust the amount of water if the stew gets too thick during cooking.
Traditional Variations
Some families make the pepián with chicken or pork instead of turkey, keeping the same corn base.
There are also versions that skip the chickpeas and peanuts, resulting in a lighter sauce.
How to Serve
Serve hot, as a main course, with white rice on the side, at Lima family lunches.
Recommended Pairings
- Plain white rice
- Homemade ground chile sauce
- Fresh salad
Did You Know?
Pepián de choclo is a pre-Hispanic preparation that uses ground corn as a natural thickener, a technique still used in contemporary Peruvian cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a Peruvian turkey stew cooked in a sauce thickened with ground corn or peanuts, seasoned with chile, a variation of the classic pepián usually made with duck or guinea pig.
Turkey offers leaner meat with a milder flavor, serving as a lighter alternative to traditional duck without losing the essence of pepián's characteristic thickened sauce.
Yes, the sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated; it's best to gently reheat it together with the turkey before serving to preserve the texture.
