Pique Macho (Bolivian Recipe)

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Pique macho or pique a lo macho is a dish that consists of homemade fries, steak, sausages, a bit of onion, tomato, hard-boiled eggs, and the touch that makes it pique macho, slices of Bolivian chili, locoto.

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Very happy to have chef Valentina from What’s Cooking Valentina again on the blog.

Last year she shared with us P'esque de Quinua, a Bolivian quinoa stew that can be served with cheese or onions. She also talked about Bolivian gastronomy.

This time she shares with us a traditional dish from the city of Cochabamba, also known as the gastronomic capital of Bolivia.

This dish is a very popular picada or appetizer among Bolivians. A dish that is served and shared with friends after work, when you sit down to relax with a few beers.

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History
Ingredients
How to make it:
Frequent questions
Recipe
Recipe

History

The origin of this pique dates back to 1974, in the restaurant that was then called El Prado (Miraflores today) of the couple Honorato Quiñones Andia and Evangelina Rojas Vargas.

A dish created at the request of a group of customers who used to play cacho (a game of dice which rules are reminiscent of poker) for hours and wanted a dish for everyone to snack on as they enjoyed their beers.

The pilots of the Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano LAB airline attended the restaurant often, and it was them who baptized this dish with the comment, "This pique (appetizer) is for machos" due to the spicy flavor that the chopped locotos (chili) gave it.

The traditional recipe of pique a lo macho has diced and seasoned meat, sausages, fried potatoes, chopped tomatoes, and locoto.

Over the years, this recipe has had variations like added onions, sausages, chicken, cheese, eggs, and other ingredients.

Ingredients

Potatoes: Dutch potatoes are used in Bolivia. Yukon gold potatoes can be used instead.
Oil: vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil because it loses all its properties at high temperatures.
Homemade chorizo: Homemade chorizo in Bolivia is prepared with beef, bacon, and some spices. Replace it for something similar.
Hot dogs: Vienna sausage or beef hot dogs.
Beef: Use beef loin. The loin is a fairly smooth cut of beef without much marbling and it cooks quickly without becoming tough.
Red Onions: Use the one you have on hand, but if you can get the red onions, use them!
Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes.
Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs.
Locotos: This chili pepper from the Andean region is characterized by having a fleshy, juicy, and very spicy texture. You can replace it with your favorite chili pepper.

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If you love spicy food and growing veggies, I recommend you get locoto seeds and grow it yourself!.

How to make it:

Start by peeling the potatoes. After cutting them, place them in cold water to avoid browning. Dry them well before frying them.

Heat a good amount of oil in a frying pan, if you have a thermometer, it should reach 160C (320F).

The potatoes are cooked or fried 2 times. The first time is to cook the potatoes and the second to give it the crisp that characterizes them.

After frying the first time, start cooking the chorizo and sausages in a pan with a little oil. Once cooked, reserve on a plate.

Use the same skillet to seal and cook the meat. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper.

Once everything is cooked, mix the chorizo, the sausages, the meat; add the fries and mix.

Place this mixture on a large serving plate, and finish the plate by adding onions, tomatoes, eggs, and chili peppers.

Frequent questions

How can I measure the temperature of the oil without a thermometer?

To check if the oil is at the correct temperature for the first 160C (320F) cooking (low heat), you can fry a piece of bread and it should brown in 30-35 seconds. For the second 180C (355F) cooking (medium heat) the bread should brown after 15 seconds.

Can I use frozen French fries?

Yes, you can use frozen French fries and follow the package directions.

Where can I buy Bolivian locoto?

Unfortunately, this pepper is hard to find outside Bolivia and Perú. But if your country has a Bolivian or Peruvian market, you might be able to find it.

How spicy is Bolivian locoto?

The spiciness of this pepper is closer to a Habanero pepper. On the Scoville scale of units spiciness, it is said to be 4 to 40 times spicier than a jalapeño.

Recipes you might like:

Asaditos (Bolivian Beef and Cassava Burgers) — **Bolivian Chicken Empanada**

Recipe and pictures from Valentina Arteaga.

Hello, I am Valentina Arteaga from La Paz, Bolivia. I’ve studied at Cordon Bleu and Basque Culinary Center. I’ve been a cook for approximately seven years gaining experience in various restaurants and implementing different projects in many places such as Peru, Spain, and the United States.

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Recipe

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5 from 5 votes

Pique Macho (Bolivian Recipe)

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Bolivian

Servings:

Calories: 800kcal

Author: Valentina Arteaga

Ingredients

2 quarts vegetable oil (2 liters)
2 pounds potatoes for frying (1 kilo)
10 ounces of homemade style sausage (300g)
10 ounces Vienna sausage or hot dogs (300g)
2 pounds beef tenderloin (1 kilo)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium red onions
2 tomatoes
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 locotos chili pepper (1 red and 1 green)

Instructions

Heat the oil to 160C (320F).
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick sticks.
Leave them in cold water to prevent them from browning.
Drain the water and pat dry the potatoes.
Fry them until cooked and remove from the heat (about 20 minutes)
Heat the oil to 180C (355F) and fry until crisp.
At the same time heat a frying pan and cut the chorizos and sausages into thick slices.
Cut the meat into medium cubes and season with salt and pepper.
Brown the chorizo, continue with the sausage and reserve.
In the same hot skillet add the meat, make sure it is sealed.
Mix the meat with the chorizo and sausages to let the flavors integrate.
Cut the onions into julienne strips and the tomatoes into wedges.
Cut the hard-boiled egg into semi-thick segments
Finish with the locoto sliced without the vein.
To serve, add the meat, the chorizo , and the sausage in a platter. Continue with the fries and mix.
Add the onions, tomatoes, egg, and peppers on top.

Notes

If you can't find the Bolivian locoto, serve it with your favorite chili pepper.

Calories are an approximation per serving. Each oil and potato absorbs fat differently. Chorizo and sausage also vary in the number of calories they have.