sangrecita — Peru

Sangrecita is built from coagulated chicken blood, cut into small cubes and cooked down with onion, garlic and chili until it forms a thick, dark stew rather than a liquid preparation. Its name, a diminutive of sangre, blood, points directly at its main ingredient, which is otherwise often discarded in poultry cooking. The dish is reported from home kitchens and market stalls across Peru, where it is generally grouped with other offal-based preparations and served as a hearty breakfast or lunch rather than as a delicate starter. It sits alongside dishes built on other parts of the animal that get little use elsewhere. To prepare it, the blood is first cooked until firm and then diced into cubes. Onion and garlic are softened in oil, and ají amarillo and ají panca pastes are stirred in along with ground cumin and dried oregano to build a base. The blood cubes are added and simmered gently so they absorb the seasoning without breaking apart, and the dish is finished with chopped herbs. It is typically served with boiled potatoes, fried slices of sweet potato, or boiled cassava alongside. Cooks vary the balance of the two chili pastes, with some versions leaning hotter than others, and a handful of fresh mint or the pungent herb huacatay is sometimes stirred in near the end for extra fragrance. The starch served alongside also shifts by household — potato, sweet potato and cassava all appear — and some cooks finish the pan with a splash of vinegar for a touch of sharpness against the richness of the blood.