Seco de Chivo - Ecuadorian Goat Stew
This Ecuadorian dish is a stew prepared with goat or kid meat cooked over low heat in a sauce of garlic, cumin, achiote, peppers, onion, cilantro, tomatoes, chicha, orange juice, panela and spices. There are different ways to prepare dried goat, most of the ingredients are similar, the main difference is usually the drink that is used, the most traditional preparation uses chicha (a fermented corn drink), but it is difficult to find chicha, and the modern preparation uses beer instead, and finally there are also those who prepare it with orange juice (also known as lulo in Colombia).
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes (plus a minimum of 1 hour for marinating)
Cook Time: 2 - 2.5 hours
Special Equipment: Large frying pan or pot with a lid, Blender, Sieve or strainer
Ingredients
2 pounds of boned goat meat, cut into large pieces
6 crushed garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of oregano
2 cups of chicha
2 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of ground achiote
1 finely chopped red onion
1 finely chopped pepper
3 tomatoes
½ bunch of fresh coriander
2 fresh or frozen oranges or lulos or ½ cup of orange juice (you can use frozen pulp)
2 tablespoons of grated panela, also known as piloncillo
1 teaspoon of sweet pepper all spice or ground Jamaican pepper, (can be replaced with a mixture of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg)
2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
To serve: Yellow rice, Fried ripe bananas, Avocado Slices, Creole pepper
Directions
Season the goat meat with crushed garlic, ground cumin, oregano, salt and a cup of chicha, let marinate for at least an hour.
Heat the oil at high temperature in a good-sized frying pan, add the meat, save the sauce where it was marinating for later, and fry the meat until golden brown on both sides.
Reduce the temperature and add the chopped onions, the chopped pepper and the ground achiote, cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend the tomatoes, the ½ bunch of coriander, the peppers, the remaining cup of chicha and the oranges, sift this sauce and add to the meat. Add the sauce where the meat was marinating, the grated panela and the Jamaica pepper, bring to a boil and reduce the temperature, cook over low heat until the meat is very smooth, approximately 2 -2 ½ hours.
Taste, adjust the salt, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve the dried goat accompanied by yellow rice, fried ripe bananas and avocado slices.
