Charquican – Easy Chilean Stew

This hearty and healthy Chilean dish is always the favorite when the beans and peas are in season. Charquican is one of those popular stews that can be served in winter or summer.

What is Charquican?

A popular Chilean dish, Charquican is a stew commonly made with beef, beans, corn, peas, squash, and other vegetables.  The name derived from the word Ch’arki, a Chilean jerky. This is how their meats were prepared before the refrigerator existed.

This traditional Chilean Charquican’s contemporary version is prepared with minced meat, which can be beef, pork, chicken, and even turkey, and then topped with fried eggs when served.

The dish is usually prepared whenever the beans and peas are in season. These are must-have ingredients for Charquican, along with corn. That is why the dish is also being served during winter and summer.  Other vegetables are also added like squash, potatoes, carrots, and more. 

What is the history of Charquican?

Charquican is from the word Charquikanka which means “stew with ch’arki (jerky).” It is said to be a Quechua word, a pre-Columbian ancestral language known as the Inca Empire's main language.

Some also claimed that the word is from a combination of two words from a Quencha word ch’arki and Mapundungun  (an Araucanian language spoken in South-central Chile) word cancan (dried roasted meat).

Charquican is known to be originated in Chile as it is very popular in this country ever since a long time ago. But it is also very popular in Bolivia, Peru, and some countries in the Andean region, like the Cuyo region of Argentina.

There is also a dish called Charquisillo, almost the same as this Chilean dish eaten in Northwest Argentina. It is a dish made with ch’arki and rice. It is not surprising that their dishes and favorite foods have similarities because these are neighboring countries with Chile in between them.

This healthy dish was originally made with dried and salted llama meat. It is commonly eaten by merchants traveling between the port of Arica (Chile's northernmost city) and the mines of Potosi (a City in Bolivia and the world's largest silver deposit that has been mined since the sixteenth century).

It is also a favorite dish by peasants who were traveling with herds of livestock from these regions.

During the Chilean War of Independence (1812-1826), the Charquican Cuyano was a regular meal eaten by the Army of the Andes soldiers.

Today,  Charquican is popularly prepared with minced beef (or any meat of choice) and topped with a fried egg. 

How to make this delicious Charquican?

This healthy, traditional Chilean dish has a remarkable background. It also became a comfort food with various ingredients depending on what’s in season.

The popular meat that is used nowadays is beef. But other meats can be used, like pork, chicken, or turkey. Some have used fish and horse or rabbit meat, too.

If you traditionally prefer the Charquican, you can use jerky or even leftover roast meat. 

Ingredients To Make Charquican

To make Charquican you are going to need the following ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb (500gms) minced meat – your choice of meat like beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and maybe you have others in mind.
• 2 cups pumpkin, diced
• 6 Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups stock
• 1 Tsp paprika
• 1/2 Tsp cumin powder
• 2 Carrots, chopped

Optional:

• Peas, green beans, corn, or any other veggie you have on hand – I’d say optional, whichever is in season.
• 4 eggs, fried – some people don’t like fried eggs on it. I’d love to have 1 or 2 on my Charquican.

How to Make Charquican:

Now that you have the ingredients, it is time to make Charquican, just follow the steps below:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook until translucent, around 5 minutes. And then add the garlic and saute until fragrant, for around one more minute. 
• Add the meat and stir for a bit. Let the meat brown for about 3 minutes without mixing. Then continue stirring occasionally for about four more minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Then cover with a lid and cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until all the ingredients are tender. 
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• With the help of a potato masher, roughly mash everything together, leaving some large chunks behind. 
• Divide between 4 plates and top with a fried egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to pin this mouthwatering dish into your favorite stews Pinterest Board for later.

Here are more popular stews to like

• Sausage Puerto Rican Stewed Beans
• Fabada
• Stewed Pork Chops