Seco de Borrego (Ecuadorian Stewed Lamb)

Seco de Borrego (Ecuadorian Stewed Lamb)

Seco de Borrego (Ecuadorian Stewed Lamb)

Seco de borrego is lamb stewed with beer, white wine, and some type of juice such as tamarind, naranjilla, and passion fruit, in an onion/tomato/bell pepper base. You can use either boneless lamb leg or bone in lamb shoulder. The shoulder will take a little longer to cook than the leg, but both are good regardless of what you choose. The lamb stew is served with rice, yucca, vegetables, avocado, and pickled red onion.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 10 minutes
Marinating Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Keyword: Ecuadorian, lamb, Latin American, main course
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • food processor
  • blender

Ingredients

Lamb Marinade

  • 4 lbs boneless leg of lamb cut into 2” cubes
  • 1 large red onion diced
  • 1 head garlic peeled
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds ground
  • 1/4 cup mixed herbs parsley/cilantro
  • 1 cup beer

Lamb Stew

  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 2 roma tomatoes diced
  • 2 bell peppers 1 red, 1 green; seeded and diced
  • 1 tsp annatto powder
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 cups beer
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
  • 3 tbsp panela sugar grated
  • salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

  • cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Add the lamb marinade ingredients to a food processor and purée.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
  • Marinate the cubed lamb for 4 hours.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
  • Place the white onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes in a blender. Purée.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
  • Heat up the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Pour in the purée along with the annatto powder and chili powder. Sauté for 8 minutes.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
  • Add in the marinated lamb, beer, white wine, water mixed with tamarind concentrate, panela, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours until the majority of the liquid has evaporated.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
  • Garnish the stewed lamb with cilantro.
    Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
Ecuadorian, main course, lamb
Serve stewed lamb with rice, yucca, vegetables, avocado, and pickled red onions.