Seco de Cordero: Herb-Braised Lamb

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg lamb, bone-in pieces, shoulder or leg
• For the coriander paste
• 4 large bunches fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 ají amarillo, fresh or paste; seeds removed if fresh
• 80 ml water
• For the soffritto base
• 2 medium white onions, finely diced
• 60 ml vegetable oil
• 300 ml chicha de jora, Peruvian corn beer; mild and lightly fermented
• For the canario beans
• 400 g canario beans, soaked overnight, drained
• 1 tsp ají amarillo paste
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp fine salt, to season throughout

Method

1. 1
   Blend the coriander, garlic, ají amarillo, and water to a smooth, vivid green paste. The paste must be abundant — far more than intuition suggests. The finished braise depends on this volume remaining visible throughout cooking. The paste is ready when it is uniformly smooth and intensely green.
2. 2
   Warm the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame. Add the diced onion and cook gently, without colouring, until it is completely soft and translucent. Add the lamb pieces directly to the softened onion base — do not sear or brown the lamb at any point.
3. 3
   Pour the coriander paste over the lamb. Stir to coat every piece thoroughly. The contents of the pot should be a uniform, unbroken green — no brown patches from the meat should show through.
4. 4
   Add the chicha de jora. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the lamb pieces. Stir once, then bring the braise to a low, steady simmer. Cover and cook until the lamb is fully tender and yielding to a skewer — the braising liquid should remain green, not brown.
5. 5
   While the lamb braises, cook the canario beans in fresh water with the diced onion and ají amarillo paste in a separate pot over a moderate heat. Simmer until the beans are completely creamy and soft at the centre — they should crush without resistance between the fingers.
6. 6
   Season the braise and beans with salt. Taste the braising liquid: it should carry both the brightness of the coriander and the mild corn acidity of the chicha. Serve the lamb in its green braising sauce alongside the canario beans.