Charquicán

Charquicán is a Chilean stew of beef, potato and pumpkin, simmered until thick and topped with a fried egg.

Its name comes from charqui, the dried and salted beef that Andean cooks have preserved for a long time. The stew turns that firm meat into something soft and filling, and it is a familiar home dish in Chile. Recipes differ from kitchen to kitchen.

What it really is

Beef, or charqui, is simmered with onion, potato, pumpkin and carrot until everything is very soft. Part of the mixture is mashed, so the stew holds together and sits thick on the plate rather than floating in broth. Cumin and paprika are common seasonings. The pumpkin gives the dish its sweetness and the potato gives it body. The fried egg on top is the classic finish, usually cooked separately in oil so the yolk stays soft.

Charquicán is not a soup. It is closer to a thick mash-stew, and the texture is the point of the dish.

How it's served

• Hot, in a deep bowl or plate, with the fried egg set on top.
• Often with bread on the side for mopping up the stew.
• As a main course at lunch or dinner, not as a starter.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein: beef, or charqui if you use dried beef, which is salted and has a firmer, chewier texture.
• Flag eggs, since the fried egg is part of the classic dish, and say whether it sits on top or comes on the side.
• Flag wheat only for the bread served alongside, since the stew itself does not contain it in the classic recipe.
• Say how the egg is cooked, because guests often ask whether the yolk will be runny or firm.