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4.9 from 156 votes

Ecuadorian churrasco

Ecuadorian churrasco is a traditional dish made with steaks, grilled , or sometimes fried in an onion and pepper sauce, topped with a fried egg and served with rice, fries, plantains and salad.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 - 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: South American , Ecuadorian

Ingredients

  • 2 lb beef steaks skirt steak, flank or hanger type steaks are a good choice, for a higher end version of this dish you can also use sirloin, ny style, ribeye or tenderloin steaks
  • 8-12 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tbs ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
Variation with peppers & onions:
  • 1-2 tbs oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground achiote or annatto
  • 1 tbs oregano
  • 1 red onion cut in thick slices
  • 1-2 bell peppers red/green or any color you want , cut into slices
  • 2 tomatoes cut into thick slices
Must have side dishes:
  • Ecuadorian style rice
  • fried eggs
  • Homemade potato fries
  • Fried ripe plantains
  • Tomato and onion curtido salad or your choice of salad
  • avocado slices
  • Aji criollo hot sauce

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix the crushed garlic, cumin, salt and pepper together to make a marinade for the meat.
  2. Rub the garlic cumin marinade on the thin steaks and let marinate for a couple of hours.
  3. Grill or fry the steaks over high heat to desired doneness; since they are relatively thin they won’t take too long to cook.
  4. If frying them and making the variation with peppers & onions, then remove the the steaks from the pan and let them rest. In the same pan, add the oil.
  5. Add the red onion slices and bell pepper slices, oregano, achiote, and a sprinkle of salt/pepper. You can also add additional garlic and cumin if you would like. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onions and peppers are soft.
  6. Add the tomato slices and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  7. You can either add the steaks back to the pan and mix everything together, or just serve them with onion and pepper mix on top.
  8. Serve the steaks with a crispy fried egg or two on top and with the additional side dishes of rice, homemade fries, fried ripe plantains, tomato and onion curtido or your choice of salad, plus avocado slices and aji criollo. You can mix and match the sides according to your preference.