Plate 06 of 10

Porotos Granados con Mazamorra

Name: Porotos Granados con Mazamorra
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: Chile
Ingredients: 1 kg Fresh shelled cranberry beans (porotos granados), rinsed and unsoaked; 500 g Zapallo camote (sweet winter squash) or Kabocha, peeled, seeded and cut into 3 cm / 1.2 in cubes; 1.2 L Cold filtered water, or light vegetable or chicken broth; 4 large ears Fresh sweet corn (choclo), husked, kernels cut and cobs scraped for milk; 25 g Fresh sweet basil leaves (albahaca), washed clean and dried; 120 ml Whole milk, warm; 45 ml Extra-virgin olive oil, or rendered lard; 1 large Yellow onion, peeled and cut into fine 6 mm / ¼ in brunoise dice; 3 cloves Fresh garlic, peeled and minced fine; 5 g Ground cumin seeds, freshly toasted in a skillet; 3 g Dried Chilean wild oregano; 15 g Fine sea salt; 2 g Freshly ground black peppercorn; 45 ml Rendered pork lard, or extra-virgin olive oil; 10 g Ají de color (Chilean sweet paprika), or Spanish pimentón dulce

High summer in the central valley — freshly shelled cranberry beans and squash thickened by mazamorra, raw sweet corn blended with basil and milk. A swirl of hot paprika-infused lard goes over the top just before it reaches the table.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 6 portions
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A brown clay bowl filled with thick golden stew holding pink-speckled cranberry beans, cubes of orange squash and yellow corn kernels, scattered with torn green basil leaves.

Porotos granados marks high summer in the central valley of Chile. It only appears during that brief harvest window when freshly shelled cranberry beans, sweet winter squash, tender ears of corn and fresh sweet basil all mature in the fields together.

What separates this from other South American bean stews is the mazamorra: raw sweet corn grated and blended with fresh basil and milk into a fragrant, bright-green-flecked purée. Stirred into the simmering pot, the corn starches swell and turn the bean broth velvety. Before it hits the table, hot paprika-infused lard — Color Chilena — goes across the top, and it is served with a cold, vinegar-dressed tomato and onion salad.

Ingredients

Beans and squash
1 kgFresh shelled cranberry beans (porotos granados), rinsed and unsoakedor fresh Borlotti or October beans
500 gZapallo camote (sweet winter squash) or Kabocha, peeled, seeded and cut into 3 cm / 1.2 in cubes
1.2 LCold filtered water, or light vegetable or chicken broth
Mazamorra (the corn purée)
4 large earsFresh sweet corn (choclo), husked, kernels cut and cobs scraped for milkabout 600 g / 4 cups kernels
25 gFresh sweet basil leaves (albahaca), washed clean and dried
120 mlWhole milk, warm
Sofrito
45 mlExtra-virgin olive oil, or rendered lard
1 largeYellow onion, peeled and cut into fine 6 mm / ¼ in brunoise dice
3 clovesFresh garlic, peeled and minced fine
5 gGround cumin seeds, freshly toasted in a skillet
3 gDried Chilean wild oregano
15 gFine sea saltseasoned in stages
2 gFreshly ground black peppercorn
Color Chilena (the finishing swirl)
45 mlRendered pork lard, or extra-virgin olive oil
10 gAjí de color (Chilean sweet paprika), or Spanish pimentón dulce

Fresh beans need no soaking

Fresh cranberry beans have tender, hydrated cell walls. Cooking them at a low simmer, 90–95 °C / 194–203 °F, softens the plant hemicellulose without the violent turbulence that splits skins.

The body is raw corn starch, not flour

Blending raw cut corn with basil and milk, then pouring it into the hot beans, makes the amylose starches swell and burst between 68 °C and 72 °C / 154–162 °F, locking free water into a rich sauce with no flour or roux.

Why the basil goes in raw and late

Blending it raw into the purée and cooking for only the final 12 minutes preserves the delicate linalool oils that evaporate under extended boiling.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt goes in once the bean skins soften, deepening the legume flavours. Fat is sofrito oil, whole milk in the mazamorra, and the glossy finishing swirl of paprika lard. Acid is naturally low here, cut cleanly at the table by cold ensalada chilena. Heat is warm cumin, minced garlic and gentle sweet pepper from the Color Chilena. Umami is simmered fresh beans, caramelised squash sugars and sweet corn.

Equipment

Heavy 6 qt enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven, or a broad olla de greda
Skillet, for the sofrito
Blender or food processor
Flat wooden spatula
Small butter warmer, for the Color Chilena

Traditionally a broad earthenware clay pot, an olla de greda. A heavy 6-quart enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven is the modern equivalent — enamelled cast iron spreads low-flame heat evenly, which stops the thick corn starches burning on the bottom of the pot.

Method

Simmer the beans and squash25–30 min
Put the 1 kg of fresh shelled beans and the cubed squash into a 6-quart Dutch oven, and pour in 1.2 litres of cold filtered water — the liquid should sit 2 cm above the beans.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then drop to medium-low, crack the lid, and simmer gently 25 to 30 minutes, until the beans are tender to the bite and the squash edges start to round.
Put 1 kg rinsed fresh beans, without soaking, and cubed squash in a 6-quart pot with 1.2 litres cold water, covering beans by 2 cm. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer at 90–95 °C / 194–203 °F, lid ajar, 25–30 minutes until beans are tender and squash edges soften.
Cook the sofrito10–12 min
While the beans simmer, heat 45 ml oil or lard in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the minced onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Sweat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the onions turn soft, translucent and sweet.
Pour the cooked sofrito straight into the simmering bean pot.
While beans simmer, heat 45 ml oil or lard over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper and 1 tsp salt; sweat 10–12 minutes until onion is soft and translucent, then pour into the bean pot.
Purée the corn mazamorra2 min
In a blender or food processor, combine the cut corn kernels, the corn milk, the fresh basil leaves and 120 ml warm milk.
Blend 60 to 90 seconds into a thick, bright-green-speckled golden purée.
Combine raw corn kernels, scraped corn milk, fresh basil leaves and 120 ml warm milk in a blender or processor. Blend 60–90 seconds into a thick golden purée flecked with green.
Stir in the mazamorra and thicken12–15 min
Add the rest of the salt to the beans, then pour the corn-basil purée into the pot, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
Turn the heat to low and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring the bottom constantly in figure-eight strokes to keep the starches from catching.
The liquid thickens into a rich, creamy stew, and the squash should be soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Add remaining salt to the beans, then stir in the corn-basil purée continuously. Simmer on low 12–15 minutes, constantly scraping the bottom in figure-eights, until creamy and thick with squash soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Bloom the Color Chilena4 min
In a small butter warmer, warm 45 ml lard or olive oil over low heat, about 100 °C / 212 °F.
Take it off the burner and stir in 10 g (2 tsp) ají de color. Let it steep off the heat for 2 minutes, until it turns glowing ruby-red and smells of sweet dried peppers.
Do not scorch the paprika, or it turns bitter and brown.
Warm 45 ml lard or olive oil over low heat to about 100 °C / 212 °F. Remove from heat, stir in 10 g / 2 tsp paprika and steep 2 minutes until ruby-red and fragrant; do not scorch.
Assemble and serve
Ladle the hot porotos granados into deep bowls, and spoon a swirl of warm red Color Chilena across the surface of each.
Top with a small fresh basil leaf, and serve with a cold platter of ensalada a la chilena.
Ladle the hot bean stew into deep bowls and spoon a swirl of warm red Color Chilena over each. Top with a small fresh basil leaf and serve with cold ensalada chilena.
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Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a thick, maize-coloured stew holding plump cream-and-pink beans, soft orange squash cubes and flecks of green basil, ribboned with bright ruby oil.
- Auditory: heavy, bubbling murmurs as the thick mazamorra simmers — never a thin, watery splash.
- Olfactory: freshly cut sweet corn, bruised sweet basil, toasted cumin and earthy simmering beans.
Check for thick corn-coloured stew with plump beans, soft orange squash, green basil flecks and ruby oil. Listen for heavy bubbling rather than watery splashing; expect fresh corn, basil, cumin and bean aromas.

Troubleshooting

Burning the bottom.: Corn starch settles onto hot metal instantly. Once the mazamorra is in the pot, do not leave it unattended — stir the floor of the pot with a flat wooden spatula.
Tough bean skins.: Salt or acidic vinegar added at the start toughens bean skins. Only salt the pot after the beans have softened.
Overcooked basil.: Boiling basil too long destroys its volatile aromatic oils. Always blend it raw into the corn, and cook for no more than 15 minutes.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Fresh porotos granados	Fresh Borlotti or cranberry beans, or drained canned Borlotti	With canned beans, simmer with the squash for just 15 minutes before adding the corn purée
Choclo pastelero	Fresh sweet yellow corn plus 15 g (1 Tbsp) cornflour	Whisk the cornflour into the milk, to match the natural starch content of South American corn
Zapallo camote	Kabocha or butternut squash	One-to-one. Kabocha provides identical dense, sweet orange flesh

Scaling

Half, for 3 portions

Cut the ingredients in half and use a 3.5-quart saucepan. The simmer stays at 30 minutes, and the mazamorra thickens in 10.

Double, for 12 portions

Double the ingredients in an 8-to-10 quart Dutch oven, and stir vigilantly once the mazamorra is in, to prevent scorching.

What to serve it with

Ensalada a la chilena — cold peeled tomato and washed salted onion with cilantro, whose cold sharpness cuts the rich starchy stew
Sliced fresh green chillies on a small plate, for anyone wanting extra heat
A Leyda Valley Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay — crisp and herbal, cutting the dense bean starches and mirroring the summer basil

Questions

What is the difference between porotos con mazamorra and con pilco?

Mazamorra blends the corn and basil into a thick purée that thickens the broth. Pilco leaves the corn kernels whole, producing a lighter, clearer soup.

Can I make this with dried beans in the winter?

Yes. Soak 400 g dried cranberry beans overnight, simmer for 1 hour until tender before adding the squash, and use frozen sweet corn blended with fresh basil for the mazamorra.

Why drizzle the Color Chilena at the table?

It adds a striking red swirl over the golden stew, and gives an immediate burst of sweet pepper aroma when the hot oil hits the bowl.