P
Latin American
Pepián rojo (Guatemalan national dish)
Pepián rojo is Guatemala's national dish — a rich, complex stew of turkey or chicken in a sauce made from roasted dried chiles (pasa, guaque, mulato), toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitoria), sesame, tomatoes, tomatillos, and cinnamon. It is the Guatemalan equivalent of Mexico's mole negro in complexity and ceremonial importance. Served at family celebrations, weddings, and religious festivals. The roasted seed and chile base is ground on a stone metate in traditional preparation, or in a blender for modern kitchens.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1.5 kg
turkey pieces (bone-in)
or chicken as substitute; turkey is traditional
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sauce
3
chile pasa (dried)
toasted separately
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3
chile guaque (dried)
toasted separately; substitute pasilla negro if unavailable
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
chile mulato (dried)
toasted separately
Origin · MexicoNot yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
pepitoria (pumpkin seeds)
toasted separately until golden
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
40 g
sesame seeds
toasted separately
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
150 g
tomatillos
roasted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 stick
cinnamon
toasted separately
Your own market
30 ml
lard or neutral oil
for frying the blended paste
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
750 ml
turkey or chicken stock
warm
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
adjust generously to season; under-seasoning flattens the dish
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Toast the dried chiles one by one in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing each briefly against the surface until fragrant and darkened at the edges — not charred. Remove, stem, and seed. Soak in just enough hot water to submerge for 20 minutes, then drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
2
In the same dry skillet, toast the pepitoria over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. This is where the dish lives or dies: the seeds must reach a deep golden colour and release a fully nutty, popcorn-like aroma — raw, under-toasted pepitoria produces a flat, green-tasting sauce that cannot be corrected later. Remove when golden throughout. Toast the sesame seeds separately in the same manner until golden. Toast the cinnamon stick briefly until fragrant.
3
Roast the tomatoes and tomatillos directly over a flame or under a grill, turning, until their skins are blistered and blackened in places and the flesh has softened completely. The skins will split and the juices will run.
4
Combine the soaked chiles, toasted pepitoria, toasted sesame, cinnamon, roasted tomatoes, and tomatillos in a blender. Process to an absolutely smooth paste, adding a little of the reserved soaking liquid as needed to keep the blades moving. The paste must be uniformly smooth — graininess indicates insufficient grinding time. Continue blending until no texture remains.
5
Heat the lard or oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the blended paste all at once — it will spit. Fry, stirring constantly, for 5–8 minutes until the paste darkens by a shade, pulls away slightly from the sides of the pot, and smells deeply roasted rather than raw. This step transforms the blended paste; skipping it leaves a raw flavour no amount of simmering will remedy.
6
Add the warm stock gradually, stirring to incorporate fully. Add the turkey pieces. Simmer over low heat, partially covered, until the turkey is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon thickly and holds a clean line when a finger is drawn through it — not watery, not a paste.
7
Season generously with salt. Pepián requires more salt and spice than caution suggests — taste and adjust until the flavour is fully present and the warmth of cinnamon and chile is forward. Rest overnight if time permits; the sauce deepens markedly on standing.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Heritage turkey, stone-ground on a metate, with chile pasa, guaque, and mulato sourced from a Guatemalan or specialist Mexican supplier. Made the day before serving.
02
Estate — Free-range chicken or turkey, blender-ground to a fully smooth paste, with authentic Guatemalan dried chiles. Rested overnight.
03
Market — Good-quality chicken pieces, blender-ground, with guaque substituted by pasilla negro. Served the same day.
04
House — Chicken thighs, blender-ground, with available dried chiles. Acceptable if every component is toasted separately and the paste is fried before stock is added.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Smell. Toasted pepitoria smells fully nutty, like popcorn — no green or raw note remains.
◇Sight. Fried paste darkens a full shade and begins to pull from the sides of the pot.
◇Touch. Finished sauce holds a clean line on the back of a spoon and does not run.
◇Sight. Blended paste is uniformly smooth with no visible grain or seed fragments.
◇Where it lives or dies. The pepitoria must be toasted to a deep, nutty gold — under-toasted pumpkin seeds produce a flat, green-tasting sauce that no subsequent step can correct.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
A medium-bodied, lightly spiced red wine with earthiness to complement the dried chiles and toasted seeds — a Grenache or southern Rhône style; alternatively, a dark, malt-forward beer or agua de jamaica, which the flavour context and ceremonial register of the dish both support.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year