By noon, everywhere in Chile it smells the same. Lunch—the main meal of the day—is on the way: From the windows of houses, school kitchens, and restaurants, the distinctive aroma of sofrito—the obligatory initial step for many Chilean dishes—makes your stomach rumble. Chances are high that what's for lunch is nutritious and homey charquicán, a timeless stew found on Chilean tables of all kinds.
Charquicán is a democratic dish, a mixture of semi-mashed potatoes and zapallo squash, ground or diced beef, and colorful seasonal veggies, all of it brought to life by a sofrito. In Chile, sofrito is an aromatic concoction of sautéed minced onion, carrot, and red bell pepper, seasoned with cumin, ají de color (the local paprika), oregano, black pepper, and, very often, garlic. Getting the sofrito right is half of the success for this dish, and also a great way of getting to know the core of Chilean cuisine.
It is interesting that the word “charquicán” itself reveals its pre-Hispanic origins: The most accepted theories agree that it combines “charki,” which means “sun-dried meat” in the Quechua language, and “kangkan” or “cancan,” meaning “roasted” or “stewed” in Mapudungun, the Mapuche language. Originally, it was made with salted, sun-dried meat from guanacos (a wild llama relative); after the Spaniards colonized, horse meat and then beef became popular. Nowadays, while charqui is a popular travel snack—mostly sold near tolls along the highway—it is very seldom that Chileans cook the original meat jerky version ("jerky," it's worth noting, also comes from the word charki).
The most common, everyday version is made with diced or ground lean beef, but the dish can change with the location and seasons. In the summer, charquicán might transform into tomaticán, a version of the stew where seasonal ripe tomatoes and the local humero corn are added. There are also versions entirely without meat, like luchicán and cochayuyicán, which use luche or cochayuyo seaweeds instead of meat; the almost extinct vaicán, with dried hake and sometimes seafood favored in the Bío Bío region; and, curiously retaining the same name, a meatless version—same as my recipe, except for the meat—usually served at upscale restaurants as a riff on the original version and eaten as a side with long-cooked meats such at plateada, the Chilean version of brisket.
The late Chilean folklorist Oreste Plath has described many more variations of charquicán in his articles about Chilean cuisine, masterfully compiled by the Nacional Library in “Geografía Gastronómica de Chile” (and available in full here). Whatever form it takes, it is always a filling, balanced, and tasty dish.
The recipe I share here includes a small personal innovation: Most recipes call for either adding the beef to the cooked sofrito in the pot, making it impossible to brown the beef and develop a delicious fond, or browning the beef first but then cooking the sofrito on top of it, which overcooks the beef and leads to cardboardy meat. To achieve proper browning while not overcooking the beef, my version starts by browning diced beef—my personal preference over ground beef—then removing it from the pot to cook the sofrito; then the beef isn't returned to the pot until much later in the cooking process ensuring that it won’t over cook and dry out.
To simplify the cooking process and reduce dishes, I also have designed the recipe to use just one pot. To ensure each ingredient is cooked just the right amount, I've carefully timed the addition of each one. Many other recipes take a different approach by simultaneously cooking the meat, potatoes and squash, and seasonal vegetables in three separate vessels at once. While this cuts down on the cooking time, it means you'll have more dishes to wash. But, even more importantly, my testing has made it clear that cooking everything separately and then combining them towards the end of the process results in a dish that is not as cohesive in flavor or texture as one where it's all stewed together.
In Chile we eat charquicán by itself or topped with one or two fried eggs—always with a very runny yolk. I recommend the latter and also adding a few pieces of quick pickled onions or the old style Chilean cebollas en escabeche (red wine vinegar slow-pickled onions); the recipe is included below.
For the Escabeche Onions (Optional): Using a sharp knife, make a 1/2-inch-deep cross cut “X” on each cut side (root and stem ends) of the peeled onions.
Add the onions to a clean jar with a fitted lid. Pour the vinegar over the onions to fill the jar and fully submerge the onions, though some may float, which is fine.
Close the lid and store in a dark place, opening them every 2 to 3 days to check that they are still fully submerged and no signs of mold growth, until the onions have turned red and are fully pickled at least 15 days. Slice thin to serve. After they are ready, they can be refrigerated for up to 6 months. (see notes)
For the Charquicán: In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil over high heat until shimmering. Add half the beef, distributing it in an even layer and cook without stirring until juicy on top and browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to release beef from bottom of pot. Transfer beef to a medium bowl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil and remaining beef.
Remove Dutch from heat, add 2 cups (480ml) water and scrape to deglaze any remaining browned bits into the water. Transfer water to a 4-cup measuring cup and top up with enough water to total 4 cups (950ml); set aside.
Return Dutch oven to medium heat and heat remaining 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion looks transparent, about 5 minutes. Add oregano, aji de color, and cumin, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until well blended, aromatic, and the onion mixture is mostly dry, 2 minutes.
Stir in potato and squash chunks and reserved deglazing water, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are slightly firm in the center when pricked with a paring knife, 15 to 18 minutes.
Add green beans, corn, and peas. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring often, until green beans look bright green, about 5 minutes. At this point, stir and using a large fork or wooden spoon, mash about a third of the potatoes against the edges of the pot.
Add Swiss chard and reserved beef along with any accumulated juices and cook, continuing to thoroughly mash the potatoes and stir the vegetables, just until the beef is heated through and cooked and the greens are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. At this point the charquicán will be drier and prone to sticking to the bottom of the pot. If it’s too dense and sticking too much add 1/4 cup (60ml) hot water to loosen it up. The final stew should have the consistency of very chunky mashed potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with 1 or 2 fried eggs on each portion and a few slices of escabeche onions or pickled onions, if desired.
Special Equipment
Large jar with a fitted lid, Dutch oven
Notes
If small onions are unavailable, 4 medium sized (roughly 6 to 8 ounce) onions may be used. For medium onions, add 4 days to pickling time.
Corn, peas, and green beans should be used fresh if in season, or frozen otherwise. Adjust the cooking times so they stay colorful and crunchy. Flat green beans ("romano" beans) can be found at Italian or Asian specialty stores and are the more common Chilean choice; otherwise, regular green beans or haricots verts will work just fine.
Make-Ahead and Storage
All vegetables, except the potatoes, can be cut a day or two ahead of time and kept in containers in the fridge. The sofrito can be fully cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months. I use it so much that I often make a big batch, portion it , and freeze it.
Charquicán can be cooled down and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It reheats well in the microwave or in a skillet. If reheating in a skillet, add a few tablespoons of water and stir constantly so it doesn't stick.
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