Lawa de chuño, also called chuño cola, is a thick soup from the Peruvian highlands made with ground black chuño, potatoes, and fava beans. Its name comes from the Quechua word lawa, a thick soup, and its dark color and earthy flavor come from chuño, potato that is frozen at night and dried in the sun through an ancestral process.
It starts with an aderezo of onion and garlic, in which the potatoes and fava beans are cooked, and it is thickened at the end with ground chuño that has been cleaned and dissolved in cold water. It is a simple, comforting dish, ideal for cold days in the Andes.
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Peruvian Lawa de Chuño
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
Peruvian preparation featuring ground chuño and potatoes, adapted for a home kitchen with clear measurements.
Ingredients
For cleaning the chuño
- 3 cups ground black chuño
- Cold water for soaking
For the lawa
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Ground oregano, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 medium potatoes (yellow or peruanita), cut into 2 to 3 cm pieces
- 1/2 kg fresh fava beans, peeled
- 2 to 3 liters water or broth
- Finely chopped parsley, for serving
Preparation
- Clean the chuño, soak the ground chuño in cold water for 1 to 2 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times: let it settle, remove the husks that float up, and carefully pour off the water. At the end, keep it dissolved in a little cold water, with no lumps. While it soaks, continue with the next steps.
- Make the aderezo, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Add pepper and oregano.
- Cook the potatoes and fava beans, add the potatoes and fava beans to the aderezo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the water or broth, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes and fava beans are tender.
- Thicken with the chuño and serve, stir in the dissolved chuño, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps, and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the broth thickens and turns its characteristic dark color, thick but not pasty. Adjust the salt and pepper and serve hot, garnished with parsley.
Chef’s Tips
- Change the soaking water several times until no husks remain, so the lawa is clean and not bitter.
- Dissolve the chuño well in cold water before adding it, and stir constantly while it thickens to avoid lumps.
- Turn off the heat when the lawa is thick but not pasty; it keeps thickening a little as it rests.
- Use waxy potatoes, such as yellow or peruanita, so they hold their shape.
Traditional Variations
Lawa de chuño can be made without meat or with 4 chicken pieces or about 300 g of beef, cecina, or charqui, cooked first in the water to make a broth. Charqui and cecina are tougher and need longer cooking.
How to Serve
Serve hot in deep bowls, garnished with parsley. Some households serve a small portion of white rice on the side.
Recommended Pairings
- A small portion of white rice
Did You Know?
Chuño is a potato preservation technique developed by Andean cultures: the potatoes are frozen at night and dried in the sun, which lets them be stored for years without refrigeration.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a thick soup from the Peruvian highlands, also called chuño cola, made with ground black chuño, potatoes, and fava beans in an onion and garlic aderezo.
To clean it: soaking it and changing the water several times removes the husks and sediment. It is then dissolved in cold water so it can be added to the soup without lumps.
Yes. It can be made without meat or with chicken pieces, beef, cecina, or charqui, cooked first in the water to make a broth.
