Seco de Carne is a typical Peruvian dish but many other countries in South and Central America have adopted their own versions. It’s a cilantro beef stew with a deep flavor. Many chefs in Peru use lamb to make “Seco de Cordero” but goat, beef, chicken, or even seafood are often used with the delicious cilantro sauce.
This dish is very easy to prepare, but it does require time and patience, especially with very tough cuts of meat. If you want a fall-apart tender cilantro beef stew you need to give it time. Low and slow should be your motto here for the best result. If you are short on time, better try this Instant Pot Beef Stew instead. It’s very very similar.
If you don’t like cilantro I do not recommend replacing it with another herb in this recipe. It’s the heart of the recipe really and is used in large quantities. Instead of replacing the most essential ingredient better make a different beef stew such as my German Goulash, or my Beef and Barley Soup.
“Seco” means dry in Spanish and makes little sense in this recipe because the beef stew is anything and everything but “dry”. It’s essentially used to describe how you slowly “cook down” the stewing sauce until it’s “dry”, meaning thick and not liquid anymore.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Beef – make sure you are using stewing beef. They are tough cuts with preferably lots of marbling. Cartilage and a bit of fat to ensure they become fall-apart tender. If you use the wrong cut you end up with unchewable meat with leathery consistency. My favorite cut for stews is chuck roast. Any package labeled “stewing beef” will also work though. It might just need some extra slow cooking time.
Onion and garlic – the irreplaceable flavor makers. Don’t use dried. Use fresh. It’s a must.
Cilantro – in many recipes calling for a little cilantro it’s easy to replace it with parsley when used raw or basil when used cooked, however in this recipe I do not recommend replacing it. It’s the heart and main ingredient of a Seco de Carne. If you don’t like cilantro make a different stew as suggested above.
Aji Amarillo Paste – it is a typical Peruvian chili pepper and has a very distinct flavor. You can find it in Hispanic grocery stores all over the world or online. If you really can’t get your hands on it you can use either sambal olek or just a teaspoon or two of chili powder.
Cooking liquid – you will need a liquid to cook the beef in and to blend the cilantro with. Simple water works of course but beef broth lends a lot more flavor. You can use exclusively beef broth or you can deepen the flavor with a bit of beer. This may sound weird if you’ve never cooked with beef before but trust me on this one. It’s incredible in this recipe. Just like adding red one to a French or Italian sauce or stew, adding beer to a Peruvian cilantro beef stew is pretty much essential.
Peas – frozen peas are super sweet and complement the fall-apart tender beef like nothing else. You can however also add other vegetables to the stew if you like. Potatoes, carrots, and celery are great additions. Add them about 30 minutes into the cooking time.
Spices – just sea salt, pepper, and cumin are enough because the cilantro already gives plenty of flavor.
Slurry – a slurry isn’t absolutely necessary. The stewing liquid thickens on its own quite a bit but if you like it more creamy and less liquid you can add a cornstarch or potato starch slurry.
What Is The Secret To Good Beef Stew?
To brown beef or any meat really you want to start with the meat not being too cold. Take it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before it hits the pan. The colder the meat the more water it releases when it hits the hot pan and it dries out. For juicy beef, it’s important to sear it when it’s not too cold.
Don’t overcrowd the pan or steam will get trapped at the bottom and start boiling the beef in its own juices instead of searing it. This will also dry it out a lot.
Make sure all pieces of beef are submerged in stewing liquid or else they will steam instead of slow-cook. Seco de Carne needs the beef to absorb tons and tons of that delicious cilantro sauce.
Why Is My Beef Stew Tough?
Cook on low for a long time. You cannot accelerate the cooking process by cranking up the heat. All that will happen is that the beef boils and becomes so dry and tough that you cannot chew it anymore. Low and slow is the secret to any good beef stew.
Different cuts need different amounts of cooking time but in 99% of the cases if you followed all the tips above to a T and the beef is still tough it’s because it still needs extra time.
What To Serve Seco De Carne With?
Let the Seco de Carne shine and serve it over simple white rice. Basmati is best in this case. The fastest and easiest way to make rice is in the Instant Pot. Most Peruvian recipes are served with rice actually.
One thing that does elevate the whole dish is Salsa Criolla. A Peruvian red onion salsa that goes incredibly well with Seco De Carne or any other Peruvian stew.
Seco De Carne
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs stewing beef
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1-3 Tbsp ají amarillo paste
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 Tbsp corn starch (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop onion and garlic and set aside.
- Blend beef broth and cilantro with an immersion blender or in a regular blender until no more chunks of cilantro can be seen and you end up with smooth bright green liquid. Set aside.
- Preheat a large heavy-bottomed stewing pot over medium heat and once hot add a drizzle of oil and sear beef in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Sear the beef in at the very least 4 batches for 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside in a bowl.
- Add chopped onion and garlic to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the burnt bits and pieces. Use a splash of water if necessary to deglaze.
- Once the onion is lightly brown, add the ají amarillo paste and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add seared beef back into the pot and season with sea salt, pepper, and cumin and then pour cilantro broth as well as beer over the beef and give it a good stir.
- Make sure all beef is submerged in the stewing liquid and reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Let simmer for 1-2 hours or until tender.
- Add frozen peas and cook for 5-10 minutes in the stew uncovered and remove a few tablespoons of stewing liquid to make a slurry with cornstarch if desired, then add the slurry and mix well.
- Serve over rice.
Nutrition
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Shelley Johnson says
I am crazy for Peruvian food AND CILANTRO!! This is a spectacular and easy recipe. The flavor! I was whimpy and only put 1 tablespoon but i will be more daring next time!!!. I wanted a-lot more sauce so think I will double it next time. I also added so many more peas because they are my favorite .paired with buttered jasmine rice. Comfort food at its best! Thank you!
Veronica Durham says
Hello, thank you for sharing your Seco de Carne recipe. In fact, this is one of several delicious Peruvian dishes. I am from Peru, I live in California and my husband is American. He loves Peruvian food and appreciates every time I prepare it for him. A trick to thicken the sauce is to add yellow potatoes previously boiled and mashed with a fork. Seco de Carne is served with a side of white rice and boiled potato slices, as well as cooked carrot slices. Originally this recipe is prepared with Chicha de Jora (a Peruvian drink) but it can be used a lager beer with a tea spoon of white vinegar, believe me gives it that complementary touch of flavor!!
Anna says
How long could this cook for in a slow cooker doe you think? Would you reduce the liquid?
Lorena Grater says
4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Same amount of liquid.
Nazanin Saadati says
In a slow cooker, when would you add the peas?
Lorena Grater says
At the very end. The stew will be so hot it will defrost the peas in just a few minutes.
Annette Kreamer says
I want your Recipe please that look so Good
Kenya says
I just made thus and is was SUPER RICO. I used a dark beer but it looks like you used a lighter beer. Does it matter? Light vs dark?
Lorena Grater says
No, it doesn’t matter. Any beer works great. The darker, the stronger the beer flavor.
Amy says
I dont see Beer in the recipe? Am i missing something??
Lorena Grater says
7th ingredient in the ingredient list and instruction number 6.
Chloe says
Hello! Can you make this in a pressure cooker?
Lorena Grater says
https://greenhealthycooking.com/instant-pot-beef-stew/
Linda Morgan says
I made the Seco De Carne last week. It was wonderful! I was able to order the ají amarillo paste from Amazon. I couldn’t find it locally. But it was necessary for the taste. It is very spicy so I stuck with 1 T but next time I think I will add a little more because it’s heat diminishes once it is cooked. Thank you for the recipe. I love your website. There are so many beautiful, healthy foods and recipes that I will be making for sure.
Linda
Jenny Rodriguez says
Hi, I see the 1/2 of beer in the ingredients list but not in the recipe , when is it supposed to be added to the meat please?
Lorena Grater says
Instruction point 6 used to read “and then pour cilantro broth as well as beef over the beef”. Just corrected the mistake “as well as beer over the beef”
Cheryl Simon says
This was so good! My son and I love cilantro so I was happy when this came up in a google search
as a way to use cilantro with beef. I added a couple of serranos and put potatoes in it instead of serving it with rice.
DELICIOUS!! Thank you!
Kenya says
This is only 1.5 cup of total liquid. Is that enough? I just had this dish today at a Peruvian restaurant and I HAVE to learn to make it. :-)
Lorena Grater says
Yes, it’s enough. Remember the cilantro has a lot of water in it and the meat releases liquid as well.
Rose Grimm says
I made the seco de carne— interesting and delicious! I added red peppers and mushrooms— and my husband added about four extra tablespoons of chili paste which made it extra hot but so good! Thanks for this recipe.
Kat says
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. Another Wow, yummy spicy dish!!!. It was so good. I don’t think I can find any other words for your recipes but “SOOO GOOOOD” :-) I enjoyed your Peruvian Green Rice Recipe, too. Aji Amarillo is one of my favorite paste but I also have Aji Panca, and Aji Rocoto. I use Aji Panca to make bake chicken but I don’t know how to cook with Aji Rocoto. Please post some more Peruvian recipes. :-)
Sharon Weaver says
Just cooked that recipe this evening and it was absolutely delicious. Used dark beer. Made salsa criolla with it and some fried plantains. Soooo freaking good.