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Mochitlán-Style Beef Stew with Red Chilies and Chickpea
Each year in Mochitlán, in southwestern Mexico, a festival is held to honor Santa Ana, the town’s patron saint. As part of the celebration, the townspeople prepare an elaborate stew called huacaxtoro (also spelled huacashtoro) using the meat of bulls, as the name of the dish suggests. Our Instant Pot version swaps in beef chuck roast and is adapted from a recipe in “The Native Mexican Kitchen” by Rachel Glueck and Noel Morales, proprietors of El Refugio Mezcaleria in Todos Santos, Mexico. You can pressure cook the meat quickly or slow cook it for several hours—either way, it will emerge fork tender. The broth, brick-red and moderately spicy from dried chilies, is laced with creamy chickpeas and summer squash. Serve this hearty stew with flour tortillas for scooping up the savory sauce.
4 to 6
Servings
Don’t cook the zucchini or add the lime juice until you’re ready to serve the stew. The beef and chickpeas can be cooked up to two days in advance and refrigerated, but for the best texture and bright flavor, complete the last steps when it’s time to eat.
FAST: 1 hour 40 minutes
Slow: 7½ to 8½ hours
Active time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
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8
medium (2 ounces) guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
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1
dried árbol chili, stemmed and seeded (optional)
Directions
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01In a 6-quart Instant Pot, combine the guajillos, árbol (if using) and 2 cups water. Select Normal/Medium Sauté and bring to a boil. Press Cancel, cover (no need to lock the lid) and let stand for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chilies to a blender along with ½ cup of the soaking liquid, 1 cup fresh water, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper; discard the remaining soaking liquid. To the blender, add two-thirds of the onion, the garlic, cumin, oregano and cloves. Blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the puree into the pot, then stir in the beef and chickpeas. Distribute in an even layer.
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