Chairo Paceño Andean Lamb Soup

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09

A warming highland soup from La Paz with lamb, chuño, wheat berries, fava beans and vegetables, finished with fresh mint-like huacatay or oregano. This Bolivian-inspired chicken recipe, ready in about 140 minutes, pairs water, yellow onion, diced, carrots, diced for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 540 calories and feeds 6, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in lamb neck or shoulder, cut in pieces
• 12 cups water
• 1 cup chuño (freeze-dried potatoes), soaked overnight and chopped
• 1/2 cup hulled wheat berries (trigo pelado), soaked overnight
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen fava beans, peeled
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 lb yellow potatoes, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp ají panca or ají colorado paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp fresh huacatay or mint, chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• to taste salt and pepper

The stock pot we’d simmer this in → Best Stock Pots for 2026: Top Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Put lamb, water and 1 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim, then add the soaked wheat berries and simmer 1 hour.
2. Step 2: Heat oil in a skillet and sauté onion, carrot and garlic until softened, 8 minutes. Stir in ají paste, cumin and oregano and cook 2 minutes. Add to the pot.
3. Step 3: Add the chopped chuño and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Step 4: Meanwhile, fry the potato strips in a little oil until golden; set aside.
5. Step 5: Add fava beans and corn to the soup and simmer 10 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Step 6: Remove the lamb, pull meat from the bones in large pieces and return it to the pot.
7. Step 7: Ladle into bowls, top with the fried potato strips and scatter with huacatay or mint just before serving.