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Nicaraguan · Central American

Indio viejo

Non-vegetarian

A thick Nicaraguan stew of shredded beef cooked into a soft corn-masa base with tomato, pepper, achiote, sour orange and fresh mint.

Indio viejo is a Nicaraguan stew, ready in about 2 hours 20 minutes and made with beef flank steak, masa harina and mint. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Wooden bowl of thick indio viejo maize and beef stew with mint
Photo: MiguelRamirez77 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
2 h
Total
2 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
370

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the beef in the water with 1 tsp salt, half the onion (opens in a new tab) and 1 garlic clove (opens in a new tab) until very tender, about 1½ hours. Lift out, shred finely and keep the broth.

  2. Step 2

    In the same pot, fry the chopped onion (opens in a new tab), remaining garlic (opens in a new tab) and the pepper (opens in a new tab) in the oil until soft. Add the tomato (opens in a new tab) and achiote (opens in a new tab) and cook until saucy.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the masa harina (opens in a new tab) into 1 litre of the warm broth until smooth and pour into the pot. Add the beef and simmer, stirring constantly, until thick like porridge, about 15 minutes.

    Add more broth if it gets too stiff; it should be spoonable.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the orange and lime juice (opens in a new tab), mint (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and remaining salt. Simmer 2 minutes and serve.

    • 3 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Nicaragua · Well documentedMore food from Nicaragua
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
savoury, tangy, herby, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Beef flank steak · Masa harina · Mint · Onion · Garlic · Green bell pepper
Techniques
Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

370 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 533 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 34%
  • Carbohydrate 26%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy370 kcal70 kcal
Protein31.4 g5.9 g
Carbohydrate23.9 g4.5 g
Net carbohydrate20.6 g3.9 g
Sugars4.5 g0.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.3 g0.6 g
Fat16.7 g3.1 g
Saturated fat5.1 g1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol91 mg17 mg
Sodium667 mg125 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
776 mg
Calcium
116 mg
Iron
4.6 mg
Magnesium
70 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
58 µg
Vitamin C
35 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
90 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Achiote paste: Ground paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: achiote paste is ground annatto seed with spices, garlic and vinegar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

  • Serve with white rice, fried ripe plantain and corn tortillas.

Food safety

  • Cool the stew quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat until bubbling.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat with broth or water, stirring, as it sets firm when cold.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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