Majadito is a Bolivian rice dish that is usually served up under a fried egg and alongside fried plantains.  The mushy texture of the dish might be slightly off putting to the western palette, but having been raised on the stuff, the warm mushy texture, studded with savory beef jerky, is delightfully comforting.  After moving back to the United States, I had a hard time replicating the dish.  One of the dish’s main components is the flavorful Bolivian beef jerky.  I tried with all kinds of store bought American jerky, but nothing seemed to hit the mark.  I even contemplated drying my own jerky at one point, but ended up deciding against it.  Finally, I ended up with this crockpot compromise.  Part of the traditional Majadito recipe is reconstituting the jerky, and I thought to myself – Why don’t I just skip the whole drying out part, and slow cook stewed, spiced beef instead?

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb Beef
• 1 diced Onion
• 1 (16oz) can petite diced Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cups Water + 3 cups Water
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder
• a pinch of Saffron (or achiote for coloring, both if you have them on hand)
• 2 cups Rice
• fried Eggs for topping

Directions:

1. Place the olive oil, onions, tomatoes, beef, salt, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, and 2 cups water into a crockpot to cook at a low temperature for most of the day.  Add water as necessary – you do not want the meat to dry out.
2. Once the beef begins to pull apart and shred, pour the beef and broth into a stew pot.
3. Add 3 more cups of water and the saffron and/or achiote.
4. Bring the pot to a boil.
5. Add in the rice, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked.  The majadito should still be slightly runny.
6. Serve under a fried egg, and alongside fried plantains.  I sprinkled mine with a bit of chopped parsley to freshen things up a bit, but that is not exactly traditional.