There is a dish in Cuzco that is loved by its people and widely served in the markets but that never finds its way to the menus of restaurants where tourists eat, revuelto de patitas or cow’s feet scramble. At lunch time, either in the markets or in Cuzco’s guariques—popular restaurants—it is served. The same is true for dinner. A revuelto de patitas is always delicious and satisfying.
I have looked at the menus of tourist restaurants in Cuzco’s monumental core and have never seen this dish offered. That is crazy. This is a really good dish and is filled with flavor.
The ladies who work in the food section of the San Pedro Market always have this delicious meal ready to be served in an instant. It has a strong demand. Local people eat it often and some visitors try it as well since its delicious and attractive taste is so good.
At the tour of lunch it is always wonderful to eat a scramble of cow’s knuckles.
When I was walking through the San Pedro Market I ran into a woman who was visiting from the city of Tacna, on Peru’s southern border. She was passing through our city and said she came to the market looking for this dish. “I just wanted to eat a good beef knuckle scramble and remembered that they made a really good one here.”
She asked me where she could find it and I told here to look in the food section. I took her there to the place where the ladies have it for sale and the woman from Tacna thanked me. I then went to buy some other things before returning to the food section.
The woman I had left there was now full. She told me I should sit and have a dish of the beef knuckle scramble. “Try it. It’s good,” she told me with a chuckle. As she said good bye to me while she exclaimed “This casera cooks really well.”
I decided to eat. The casera had on a green apron and a green cap. She first served me up a quinoa soup and it was wonderful.
Then she gave me a plate of revuelto de patitas. Yum. It was good. Her skill made good food.
Just like in the other stands where I had previously eaten, here food was excellent. The feet were tender and were served in the scramble with French fried potatoes and other ingredients. They made a delicious combination with a side of rice and a salad.
When I was done she served me a cold barley tea and I was satisfied. I had a good and complete meal.
Outside the markets this dish often appears in the restaurants for Cuzco’s local people since the people of Cuzco really like this succulent main course. It stands out on the black boards where they chalk in the day’s offerings. Placed on the outer doorway these boards and the dishes they list draw in lots of customers.
This dish can be prepared quickly. It does not take a long time and the ingredients are found in all the markets of the Peruvian south.
People love it not only for its taste but because it is very nutritious. It has lots of calcium and keratin which is good for your nails and hair among other things. Often it is served with a cup of gelatin made from boiling the feet.
When you are in Cuzco it is worth trying this tasty dish that makes us Cusqueños happy.
Ingredients:
Serves 4 persons
1 k. cooked cows’ feet
1 k potato sliced into squares
100 gr. Green peas
1 medium onion diced
1 tsp ground garlic
1 small package of turmeric
100 gr. peeled and ground roasted peanuts
3 eggs beaten
Parsley finely diced
½ tsp sodium bicarbonate.
Preparation:
Fry the potatoes. Separately boil the peas with the bicarbonate. Heat a fry pan and in it prepare a dressing of ground garlic, and diced onion in a squirt of oil. You can also add to this diced tomato if you wish. To the dressing add a bit of the broth from the knuckles as well as some of the knuckle skin cut into squares. Add the potatoes, the ground peanuts, and the raw, beaten eggs. Keep it over a slow flame for some five minutes until it consolidates. Seve with white rice and a salad.
