Destination
Cuenca
The story
Cevichocho is Ecuador's inventive vegetarian ceviche: chocho (a small Andean lupin bean with a slightly nutty, brine-cured flavour) tossed cold in a bright dressing of tomato, red onion, coriander, lime and a spoon of ketchup for body, then piled high with plantain chips and toasted corn (tostado or canguil) for crunch. Sold from carts on every busy street corner in Quito, Riobamba and Ambato, spooned into small plastic cups for a few dollars, eaten standing up with a plastic fork.
Method
Drain the chochos from their brine and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute to reduce salt. Drain well and pat dry.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, ketchup, orange juice, salt, sugar, pepper and ají.
Add the chochos, sliced onion, diced tomato, red pepper and most of the coriander (save some for serving). Toss well to coat.
Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes so the flavours marry. This step is essential; freshly tossed cevichocho tastes flat.
Spoon into small cups or bowls. Top each generously with plantain chips and toasted corn. Scatter with remaining coriander. Serve with lime wedges and extra ají on the side.
Tips
- Chochos are sold ready-to-eat. Latin grocers stock chochos already soaked, de-bittered and cooked in brine, packed in tubs or jars. Don't try to prepare them from raw dried lupins at home; the de-bittering process takes a week of daily water changes and gets it wrong is genuinely toxic.
- Rinse the chochos before dressing. They're stored in salty brine, and using them straight makes the dish over-salted. A 1-minute rinse strikes the right balance.
- Chill before serving. Freshly tossed cevichocho tastes flat. 20 minutes in the fridge lets the dressing bloom into the beans and other vegetables.
- Plantain chips and toasted corn are essential. The whole appeal is the textural contrast: soft brine-cured beans meet crunchy plantain and popped corn. Skip these and the dish loses half its personality.
- A splash of ketchup is not un-Ecuadorian. Colombian and Ecuadorian coastal ceviches all include a small amount of ketchup for body and sweetness. Purists may object; the whole country ignores them.
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