Peru: vegan papas rellenas

For our virtual visit to Peru on this vegan world tour, we cook some vegan papas rellenas. These stuffed potatoes are popular throughout South and Central America and likely originated here in Peru. Peruvian vegan papas rellenas are made from mashed potatoes, stuffed with ground walnuts, olives, and raisins and fried in lots of oil. Enjoy with some salsa criolla – a red onion salad with lime and cilantro. Read on to learn more about papa rellenas or jump straight to the recipe.

Peruvian cuisine

Peru’s geographical diversity spans from the Pacific coast to tropical rainforests, high-altitude plateaus, and snow-capped mountains, offering an astonishing array of approximately 30 distinct microclimates to cultivate intriguing ingredients ​[1]​. This rich biodiversity is mirrored in the country’s cuisine, where Incan culinary traditions blend with Spanish colonial influences, and flavors from West Africa, Europe, and East Asia ​[1], [2]​. Notably, Peru’s culinary landscape has earned global acclaim, with the country being named the “World’s leading culinary destination” by the World Travel Awards for 10 of the last 12 years ​[3]​.

In the Peruvian kitchen, seafood is prevalent, famously served as various renditions of ceviche, a dish of raw seafood cured in zesty acid ​[2], [4], [5]​. Chinese influences also shine through in lomo saltado, a savory stir-fry often accompanied by crispy French fries. From the Amazon region, juane emerges as a unique delicacy, consisting of rice, meat, eggs, and olives wrapped in large bijao or banana leaves and gently boiled ​[5]​. One intriguing commonality across many Peruvian dishes is the combination of olives and hard-boiled eggs, a pairing present in juane, papas rellenas (the focus of this post), served alongside boiled potatoes with a cheese sauce (known as papa a la Huancaina), and in aji de gallina, a rich dish with chicken, cream, and Peruvian chilies.

Peru’s most significant contribution to the realm of global gastronomy arguably lies in the potato. This simple tuber was first domesticated in what is now Peru and Bolivia over 13,000 years ago, and today, Peru alone boasts an impressive collection of over 3,000 potato varieties ​[1], [6]​. The potato remains an integral part of Peruvian cuisine, and as a tribute to the origin of this remarkable ingredient, I’ve chosen to prepare a potato-based dish for our virtual journey to Peru.

Papas rellenas

Papas rellenas, a delectable dish, involves a straightforward process of stuffing mashed potatoes with various fillings before frying them to perfection. This dish is popular not only in Peru but also across South and Central America, savored from Argentina to Cuba and beyond ​[7]​.

The particular recipe for the filling can vary significantly from one region to another. In Argentina, papas rellenas are typically filled with a combination of cheese, ham, or mushrooms ​[7]​. Meanwhile, the Cuban rendition features picadillo, a minced meat stew infused with tomatoes, olives, and capers ​[8]​. In Peru’s neighboring Colombia, papas rellenas are crafted with a stuffing comprising minced meat, onion, and scallion ​[9]​.

The origins of this dish can be traced back to Peru, specifically during the 1879 war between Peru and Colombia ​[8], [10], [11]​. During this conflict, Peruvian soldiers, carrying provisions that invariably included potatoes and ground meat, devised a practical solution for a quick and nourishing meal. They would prepare a mixture of potatoes and meat in the morning before breaking camp and then fashion these into stuffed balls for easy transport. At lunchtime, a small fire could swiftly reheat these creations, providing a convenient and satisfying snack. Following the war, as the soldiers returned home, they brought this new dish with them.

How to make papas rellenas

Peruvian papas rellenas are made from a mashed potato dough which is shaped into an oblong “ball” around a filling. In Peru, the traditional filling is made with boiled egg, minced beef, onion, raisins, garlic, and olives ​[8], [10]–[15]​. Tomatoes are often used to enhance the flavour along with rich spices like cumin, paprika, ground or fresh chili, and sometimes herbs like cilantro, parsley, or fresh oregano. Two Peruvian chili varieties, aji amarillo (yellow chili) and aji panca (red chili), are often used, either on their own or together ​[10], [12]–[15]​. These chilies can also be substituted for more easily located chilies, such as serrano peppers or jalapeño ​[8], [12]​.

The mashed potato dough itself is straightforward to make. Simply boil and mash some firm potatoes, and allow to cool. Some cooks add a tablespoon of flour ​[11]​ or an egg ​[12]​ to help with dough texture. To assemble a papa rellena, you flatten the potato dough into a disc, add some filling, and shape it into an oblong ball. The potato ball is then dipped in flour and fired in oil.

Peruvian papas rellenas are traditionally served with salsa Criolla, a zesty salad made from finely sliced red onion and chili peppers, seasoned with cilantro and lime ​[16], [17]​. This crisp and tangy salsa provides an excellent contrast to the fried mashed potatoes.

Vegan papas rellenas

The popularity of papas rellenas across South and Central America has given rise to a variety of vegan versions using soy mince/TVP ​[13]​ lentils ​[18]​ or mushrooms ​[19]​ in place of ground meat. The boiled egg popular in Peruvian papas rellenas can potentially be replaced with pieces of firm tofu to replicate the texture. Or you can omit the egg completely, which is what I did. For my vegan papas rellenas, I decided to use soaked, ground walnuts as the minced meat replacement. In recent weeks, my wife and I have started experimenting with walnuts in place of minced meat and it works very well. Sometimes, it can be a bit oily but you can “dilute” the walnuts with cooked green or brown lentils for a less oily version. But in these papas rellenas, walnuts worked very well without lentils.

Peruvian chili

Peruvian chili, such as aji amarillo or aji panca, are common in Peruvian recipes, including papas rellenas. I have never used these chilis so I had to look them up. Seems aji amarillo, or yellow chili, is a bit hotter than serrano peppers, with 30-50,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) compared to serrano peppers’ 10-23,000 ​[20]​ (for reference, jalapeños are relatively mild and only score 2,500-8,000 SHU ​[21]​). What is more interesting is the aji amarillo’s flavour which is described as having a sunny, tropical, and fruity flavour, similar to scotch bonnet. Scotch bonnet is likely way too hot (100-350,000 SHU) to serve as a good replacement for aji amarillo. Serrano peppers are a better match on that note. Aji panca, brown chili, on the other hand has a berry-like, slightly smoky flavour and has a mild heat (1,000-1,500 SHU) ​[22]​. Matt Bray on PepperScale recommends something like an ancho pepper (dried poblano) for its sweet and slightly smoky flavour and comparable heat ​[23]​.

If you can’t find fresh Peruvian chili, you might be able to find either aji amarillo or aji panca as a paste in a South American store or other store with various cuisines. I bought some aji amarillo paste from my local Latin American store to try for this recipe.

Conclusion

To nobody’s surprise these Peruvian vegan papas rellenas turned out to be delicious; who doesn’t love fried potatoes, mashed or otherwise? The filling itself turned out really well, with the ground walnuts, olives, and raisins creating savoury background with pops of saltiness and sweetness. The inclusion of raisins and olives reminded me quite a bit of the empanadas we made when visiting Argentina 3 years ago. And the fried, stuffed potatoes as a whole, brings our Libyan m’battan to mind.

For this recipe, I bought a jar of aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow pepper) paste to use in the filling. But it did not come through much in the final dish. Based on the descriptions I read, I thought it would have a more significant impact on the final flavour profile, like a scotch bonnet which does not only add heat but can really transform a dish with it’s peachy fruitiness. But for this dish, I don’t think the type of chili mattered much. Next time, I will use whichever fresh chili I have at home.

If you make these vegan papas rellenas (and why wouldn’t you?), do take the(short) time to make some salsa criolla. The red onions quickly marinated in lime juice give a great, crunchy, and acidic contrast to the papas rellenas. Without this contrast in flavor and texture, the papas rellenas can become a bit heavy. Acidity is great for livening up starchy and fatty dishes.

That’s it for our vegan world tour stop in Peru. Join me again next time when we travel back to the Pacific Ocean to visit Melanesia. If you don’t want to miss the next stop, you can subscribe to the email list and I’ll send you an alert when we arrive.

Vegan papas rellenas

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Vegan papas rellenas

Papas rellenas, or stuffed potatoes, are fried balls of mashed potatoes with a delicious filling. This vegan, Peruvian version is filled with blended walnuts, raisins, and olives. Serve with salsa criolla, a salsa made from raw onion, lime, and fresh chilies.

Servings 4 papas rellenas

Equipment

• blender or food processor

Ingredients

Potato dough

• 500 g potatoes, boiled
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour if needed

Filling

• 100 mL walnuts
• ¼ onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp minced chili or chili paste, or to taste see note
• 1 tbsp tomato pure
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 6 olives
• 1 tbsp raisins
• extra firm tofu optional, see note

For frying

• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• plant-based milk, unsweetened if needed
• vegetable oil, such as canola

Salsa criolla

• ½ red onion
• 1 pepper, to taste e.g. jalapeño; see note
• 50 mL cilantro
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp vegetable oil, such as canola
• salt to taste

Instructions

Salsa criolla

• Salsa criolla is best to prepare a bit in advance so it can rest for about 30 min.
• Finely slice the red onion.

  Deseed and slice the pepper. Adjust the amount to suit you.

  Chop the cilantro.
• Mix in a bowl, add juice from one lime, a pinch of salt, and a bit of canola oil. Mix and set aside.

Potato dough

• Peel, cube and boil the potatoes if not already done. Drain and let them cool slightly and mash them with a potato masher to form a smooth mash. Set aside to cool.
• Try shaping the dough into a ball. It should hold its shape and be easy to work with. You might have to add a little flour to make it firmer.

Filling

• Optional: soak the walnuts for 30 min to remove some bitterness.
• Quickly pulse the walnuts in a blender to create crumbs.
• Mince onion and garlic. Mince fresh chili if using.
• Add onion and garlic to a pan on medium to high heat. Sweat until translucent and fragrant.
• Add cumin, paprika, salt, tomato pure, chili paste or fresh chilis. Stir.
• Add the ground walnuts. Stir. If it looks dry, add a bit of water to help the mixing.
• Cook for 10+ minutes, adding water if needed. The final filling should be quite dry.
• Chop olives and add to the pan. Add raisins.
• Set aside to cool slightly-

Assembly

• When the potato dough and filling are cool enough to handle, assemble the papas rellenas.
• Place some flour on a plate.
• Take 1/4 of the potato dough (if making 4, ~500 g potatoes) and form a ball. It's size should be somewhere between a golf ball and a tennis ball.

  If the dough is sticking to your hands, you can dust your hands with flour.
• Flatten the ball into a disc-like bowl, about 1 cm thick. Place two spoons of filling in the potato bowl and carefully close the bowl around it.

  Tidy up the potato ball, shaping it into something resembling a lemon.
• Roll the papa rellena in some flour. If the flour does not stick, try brushing the potato ball with some water or plant-based milk.
• Heat about 1 cm oil in a small pan. When it is hot, add the papa rellena and fry it about 1 min per side, turning it often. When it is golden all around, it ready. Place on a plate with some kitchen wipes.
• Continue making papas rellenas and frying.
• You can also prepare all papas rellenas before frying. Place them on a plate with a light dusting of flour while they wait.
• Serve the papas rellenas with your fresh salsa criolla.

Notes

Chili in filling: See the text in the blog post about Peruvian chilis. Ideally, you would find fresh aji amarillo or aji panca. You can substitute with a medium-heat chili like serrano peppers. Alternatively, you could find some Peruvian chili paste to use. I found some aji amarillo paste at my local Latin American store which I used in the filling.

Extra firm tofu chopped into small chunks can be used to add a texture element mimicking that of boiled eggs in omnivore Peruvian papas rellenas.

Chili in salsa criolla: use a chili with a heat suitable for your taste. You can use bell pepper if you prefer.

References