Peruvian Veal Stew with Potatoes and Aji Amarillo
PeruvianFreezer-friendly High-protein One-pan

Peruvian Veal Stew with Potatoes and Aji Amarillo

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4.8 · (50 ratings)
restaurant6 servings — eat 4, freeze 2
scheduleHands-on 35 min | Total 110 min
bolt420 kcal
Yield6 servings — eat 4, freeze 2
Calories420 kcal
Total Time110 min
Cost/Serving

~$5.80 CAD per serving (estimate)

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kgveal shoulder, cut into 5 cm pieces
  • 3 tbspolive oil
  • 1 largeyellow onion, finely diced
  • 6 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 4 tbspaji amarillo paste (find it in the Latin foods aisle or a Latin grocery)
  • 1.5 tspground cumin
  • 1 tspsmoked paprika
  • 0.5 tspfine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 0.5 tspblack pepper
  • 2 tbsptomato paste
  • 250 mldry white wine
  • 600 mllow-sodium chicken or veal stock
  • 800 gyellow-fleshed potatoes (Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
  • 2 tbspflat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (for finishing)

Nutrition / serving

  • Calories420 kcal
  • Protein38 g
  • Carbs28 g
  • Fat14 g
  • Fiber3 g

Cost Estimate

~$5.80 CAD per serving (estimate)

This is a braise built around aji amarillo — the bright, fruity Peruvian chili that turns the sauce a deep orange and gives it a warmth that sits at the back of the throat rather than on the tip of the tongue. Veal shoulder is the right cut here: it has enough collagen to keep the sauce silky through a long simmer, and it doesn't dry out the way leaner cuts do. The potatoes go in late so they hold their shape, and the whole pot reheats from frozen better than you'd expect.

Instructions

01 check_circle

Season and sear the veal

Pat the veal pieces dry with paper towel and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the veal in two batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown on at least two faces — do not crowd the pot or the meat steams instead of browns. Transfer to a plate.

02 check_circle

Soften the aromatics

Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.

03 check_circle

Build the sauce base

Add the aji amarillo paste, tomato paste, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes, pressing the paste into the oil — the mixture will turn a vivid orange and smell toasty. This step deepens the flavor of the chili considerably.

04 check_circle

Deglaze and braise

Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble for 2 minutes, then add the stock and return the seared veal along with any resting juices. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and braise over low heat for 55 minutes.

05 check_circle

Add the potatoes

After 55 minutes the veal should be nearly tender — a fork should meet some resistance but not much. Add the potato chunks, stir gently to submerge them in the sauce, cover again, and cook for a further 20–25 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the sauce has thickened around them.

06 check_circle

Adjust and finish

Taste the stew and adjust salt. If the sauce looks thin, remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top just before serving.

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Freeze & Reheat

Freezing: Cool the stew completely, then portion into airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. The veal collagen keeps the sauce from separating, and the Yukon Gold potatoes hold their texture better than waxy or russet varieties after freezing.

Reheating: Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a covered pot over medium-low heat, adding a splash of stock or water if the sauce has thickened too much. Stir gently every few minutes — about 12–15 minutes from cold to steaming.

Chef's Cool Facts

Why aji amarillo turns orange, not red

Aji amarillo gets its color from beta-carotene and capsanthin pigments rather than the lycopene that makes red chilies red. The fat in the olive oil pulls those pigments out of the paste during the toasting step, which is why the sauce turns such a deep, even orange.

Veal shoulder collagen and sauce texture

Veal shoulder has a high concentration of type-I and type-III collagen. During the braise, that collagen converts to gelatin, which gives the sauce body and a slightly lip-coating texture. It also acts as a stabilizer when the stew is frozen and reheated, preventing the sauce from breaking into a watery pool the way a lean-meat stew often does.

Aji amarillo's heat level

On the Scoville scale, aji amarillo sits between 30,000 and 50,000 SHU — roughly the same as a cayenne pepper. But its fruity, slightly tropical flavor means the heat reads as milder than a cayenne at the same concentration, which is why the finished stew feels warm rather than sharp.

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