Charquicán recipe with traditional Chilean fried egg

The charquicán is an old and typical preparation of Chile and other South American countries, such as Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. The term charqui apparently comes from the Quechua charki kanka, which means charqui roast, or roasted dried meat. And it is that, in times of the Spanish colony, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the muleteers carried combinations of jerky, dried meat in their backpacks, during long trips along the Inca route Cápac Ñan (between Potosí, present-day Bolivia, and the port of Arica, Chile) with products that they collected or bought. The jerky with fried egg is also called jerky, because the egg was a substitute for the meat (this is no longer the case). This preparation has humble origins, as has already been seen. The Spanish conquerors modified the dish by roasting and grinding the dried meat. The traditional preparation (from Chile and Argentina) is made with pumpkin, potatoes, fried onion with ground chili and various other condiments. Its nutritional contribution is high, and its ease of preservation made this food a very traditional one among soldiers in the field, especially during the wars of independence. Ingredients: 500 grams of finely chopped meat 4 eggs 2 potatoes 1 sweet potato 300 grams of pumpkin 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 100 grams of shelled corn 1 teaspoon of ground chili 500 ml of vegetable broth 1 teaspoon of dried oregano 100 grams of green beans 1 teaspoon of cumin Salt How to prepare the jerky with fried egg: In a saucepan, put a little oil and seal the meat. Add the finely chopped garlic and onion, fry. Season with the oregano, the ground pepper, the cumin and salt. Let it cook for a few minutes.Cut the potatoes, sweet potato and squash into small squares. Cook them in salted water, in a separate saucepan. When done, mash with a fork. Incorporate into the stew. Add the vegetable broth, season and season with salt. Stir gently, mixing the ingredients. Towards the end of cooking, add the chopped beans and corn. In a frying pan, add a drizzle of oil, fry the four eggs one by one. To serve, place the jerky on four plates and top with a fried egg. If you wish, you can prepare the charquicán stew with fried egg with a meat stock cube to give it more intensity, but it is not absolutely necessary. This dish is overwhelming, so it is recommended to take it during the day, since there is more time to digest it, than at night.