Servings
Font
Back
0 from 9 votes

Silpancho (Bolivia)

Silpancho is an incredible Bolivian meal made by combining many ingredients on a platter. It begins with a bed of rice and is topped with a pan-fried burger, salsa, fried potatoes, and an over easy egg.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 827 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Bolivian

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup white rice I used Minute Rice, but you can also use uncooked white rice
  • 2 Idaho potatoes peeled
  • 16 oz ground beef
  • 3 roma tomatoes chopped
  • ½ red onion chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • oil for frying I used sunflower oil
  • 1 cup bread crumbs plain
  • 6 eggs 2 for dipping, 4 for frying
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ⅓ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel the two potatoes and place in a pot of boiling water. Boil until the potatoes are soft, but not falling apart if poked by a fork... about 10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool in the fridge.
  2. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the box/bag.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together chopped red onions, roma tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, and vinegar. Set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine ground meat with garlic powder, paprika, salt, cumin, and black pepper.
  5. In a frying pan, pour enough oil to make a layer across the pan about ¼ of an inch thick. Heat the oil until hot enough to fry. I usually test the oil by placing the end of a wooden chopstick in the oil. If bubbles form around the chopstick wood within 3-5 seconds, the oil is hot enough to fry with.
  6. While the oil is heating up, crack two eggs into a small bowl and whisk. Pour the bread crumbs into a separate bowl.
  7. Form the raw, seasoned meat into four thin patties. Dip the patties in the whisked egg, then dip them in the breading. Use a rolling pin to roll the meat patties as flat as possible. Finally, place the patties in the oil and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
  8. Next, remove the potatoes from the fridge. Slice into thin rounds and fry these potatoes in the oil as well, until they begin to brown. About 5-6 minutes on each side (more or less to fit your preference).
  9. Finally, heat a frying pan and cook the remaining four eggs over-easy so that the whites are cooked through, but the yolk is runny.
  10. To assemble the platter, form a bed of rice at the bottom. Place the fried patties on top of the rice. Next, lay the fried potatoes around the plate. Spoon the salsa over the top of the rice and potatoes. Finally, place the fried eggs on top. This can be done on four individual platters or one large one.
  11. Enjoy the meal! And leave a comment on this page letting me know how you liked it.

Notes

  • Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
  • I used Idaho potatoes, but a lot of recipes call for Yukon Gold Potatoes as well. I chose Idaho as they fry up nicely (they are typically the potato used for
  • French Fries
  • ). If you want a softer, more tender potato, the Yukon Gold might be a good option. 
  • I chose to use ground beef rolled out with a rolling pin in accordance to a few recipes for Silpancho that I saw online, the most helpful of which being from
  • boliviancookbook.com
  • . This recipe used ground beef rolled out, though other recipes also feature the patties being made with a thin piece of steak such as flank steak!
  • For frying I typically like to use sunflower oil as I feel it is the most forgiving oil to fry in. However, you can choose whatever oil you’d like. I sometimes sub vegetable oil if I do not have any sunflower oil on hand.
  • The rice in this recipe could be a lengthy step if you let it, but quite frankly, I used minute-white rice and it didn’t change the amount of YUMs that I received from my friends and family. You can also prepare your
  • white rice in the Instant Pot
  • which will significantly cut down on cook time. 
  • If you’re not sure how to tell if your oil is hot enough to fry, use the wooden chopstick trick! Place the end of a wooden chopstick into the oil, perpendicular to the pan. If bubbles form around the chopstick wood within 3-5 seconds, the oil is hot enough to fry. 
  • If you are having a hard time with your meat patties sticking to your surface as you’re rolling them, try to sprinkle more breadcrumbs down on your rolling surface. You may need to add more breadcrumbs in order to roll your meat properly.
  • Potatoes: I used Idaho potatoes, but a lot of recipes call for Yukon Gold Potatoes as well. I chose Idaho as they fry up nicely (they are typically the potato used for French Fries). If you want a softer, more tender potato, the Yukon Gold might be a good option.  Meat: I chose to use ground beef rolled out with a rolling pin in accordance to a few recipes for Silpancho that I saw online, the most helpful of which being from boliviancookbook.com. This recipe used ground beef rolled out, though other recipes also feature the patties being made with a thin piece of steak such as flank steak! Oil for Frying: For frying I typically like to use sunflower oil as I feel it is the most forgiving oil to fry in. However, you can choose whatever oil you’d like. I sometimes sub vegetable oil if I do not have any sunflower oil on hand. The rice in this recipe could be a lengthy step if you let it, but quite frankly, I used minute-white rice and it didn’t change the amount of YUMs that I received from my friends and family. You can also prepare your white rice in the Instant Pot which will significantly cut down on cook time.  If you’re not sure how to tell if your oil is hot enough to fry, use the wooden chopstick trick! Place the end of a wooden chopstick into the oil, perpendicular to the pan. If bubbles form around the chopstick wood within 3-5 seconds, the oil is hot enough to fry.  If you are having a hard time with your meat patties sticking to your surface as you’re rolling them, try to sprinkle more breadcrumbs down on your rolling surface. You may need to add more breadcrumbs in order to roll your meat properly.
  • Potatoes: I used Idaho potatoes, but a lot of recipes call for Yukon Gold Potatoes as well. I chose Idaho as they fry up nicely (they are typically the potato used for French Fries). If you want a softer, more tender potato, the Yukon Gold might be a good option. 
  • Meat: I chose to use ground beef rolled out with a rolling pin in accordance to a few recipes for Silpancho that I saw online, the most helpful of which being from boliviancookbook.com. This recipe used ground beef rolled out, though other recipes also feature the patties being made with a thin piece of steak such as flank steak!
  • Oil for Frying: For frying I typically like to use sunflower oil as I feel it is the most forgiving oil to fry in. However, you can choose whatever oil you’d like. I sometimes sub vegetable oil if I do not have any sunflower oil on hand.
  • The rice in this recipe could be a lengthy step if you let it, but quite frankly, I used minute-white rice and it didn’t change the amount of YUMs that I received from my friends and family. You can also prepare your white rice in the Instant Pot which will significantly cut down on cook time. 
  • If you’re not sure how to tell if your oil is hot enough to fry, use the wooden chopstick trick! Place the end of a wooden chopstick into the oil, perpendicular to the pan. If bubbles form around the chopstick wood within 3-5 seconds, the oil is hot enough to fry. 
  • If you are having a hard time with your meat patties sticking to your surface as you’re rolling them, try to sprinkle more breadcrumbs down on your rolling surface. You may need to add more breadcrumbs in order to roll your meat properly.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 827kcal (41%) Carbohydrates 81g (27%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 38g (58%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 18g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 326mg (109%) Sodium 963mg (40%) Potassium 1132mg (32%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1088IU (22%) Vitamin C 19mg (21%) Calcium 154mg (15%) Iron 7mg (39%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 827

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 827kcal 41%
Carbohydrates 81g 27%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 38g 58%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 18g 90%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 326mg 109%
Sodium 963mg 40%
Potassium 1132mg 24%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1088IU 22%
Vitamin C 19mg 21%
Calcium 154mg 15%
Iron 7mg 39%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.