Updated: Fritada de chancho or braised pork

Fritada is another delicious dish from Ecuador, this is a typical plate from the Sierra or Highlands (Quito, Loja, etc); its full name is “fritada de chancho” which literally translates as pork fry-up, though the meat is actually cooked in water and orange juice until the water is reduced and the meat is browned in its own fat. Fritada is one of these dishes that you will find in snack stalls and restaurants on the weekends, people in Ecuador usually leave the city and go to the small villages in the countryside or campo on the weekends and in each village there is always a restaurant that has fritada de chancho, you can either eat it at the restaurant or buy it to go. The best fritada I ever had was on a Sunday when a few friends and I decided to go cycling, our original plan was just to ride to the outskirts of the city, however we ended up going all the way to one of these small villages that was a couple of hours away- the ride was mainly downhill so it wasn’t too hard-, but since we didn’t plan on a long ride we weren’t prepared and had almost no money (less than a dollar) and we’re starving by the time we got to this town; of course as soon as we get there we could smell the fritada, our money was enough for a couple of pieces of fritada which we shared and was just so amazing. The essential must have side dishes for the fritada include boiled yuca, mote or hominy, fried ripe plantains, curtido and aji criollo; other side dishes that can be served include cooked rice, llapingachos or potato patties, boiled potatoes, avocado slices, or a Russian salad.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of pork (1 lb of baby back pork ribs and 2 lbs of boneless ribs or loin or any combination of these, cut in medium size squares)
1 tsp of cumin
10 garlic gloves (5 whole and 5 minced)
1 white onion (chopped in large pieces)
1 shallot (chopped in large pieces)
3 cups of water
1 cup of orange juice

Salt to taste

Side dishes: plantains, yuca, mote (hominy), avocado slices, Russian salad, and curtido

Preparation:

1. Season the pork with the cumin, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours if you have time.
2. In a large wok or a sauté pan add the meat, the chopped onion and shallot, the whole garlic cloves and the 3 cups of water.
3. Cook on medium heat until the water is almost gone.
4. Add the orange juice and let it reduce
5. The meat will begin to brown, stir frequently to avoid burning, cook until all the pieces are evenly browned.
6. Add the boiled yuca, mote or hominy and plantains to the same pan or you can also arrange the fritada and the sides on a large serving platter.
7. Serve the fritada with the sides including the yuca, hominy, plantains, curtido (marinated onion lime cilantro tomato salad), avocado slices and aji criollo (hot sauce).

Para la receta en español haga click aqui

La receta en español para la fritada esta aqui.

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