Chambre (Legumes and Meat Stew) combines rice, legumes, meat, vegetables, and tubers in a dish that is a complete meal in itself, and it's very comforting.
Why we ❤️ it
It's fair to say that I have learned as much from my readers' comments and emails throughout these years as I may have taught them. And I have discovered a treasure trove of new dishes in our cuisine that I did not know existed prior to my starting to write about Dominican cooking.
A million thanks for that.
Chambre (Dominican legumes, rice, and meat stew).
About this recipe
This hearty stew, seemingly created to get rid of all of a week's leftovers, or to get the home cook a respite by combining almost all of the Dominican traditional lunch in one single pot, was unknown to me until my readers brought it to my attention.
Luckily, I quickly got hold of a few friends that were well-acquainted with Chambre and shared their recipes with me. I have been told it's also known as "Chapea" in other parts of the country.
As it almost always happens, everyone had a different recipe, born out their own family traditions. As I usually do, I settled for the one I liked best. This is it.
I hope you love it as much as I did.
Video
Recipe
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[Recipe + Video] Chambre (Dominican Legumes and Meat Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 pound longaniza, [0.9 kg] (Dominican pork sausage) cut into slices
- 1 pound smoked pork chop, [0.45 kg] diced
- 1 cubanelle, (cubanela) pepper, diced
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed
- 1 cup boiled red kidney beans, boiled soft and drained
- 1 cup pigeon peas, boiled soft and drained
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 pound batata (sweet potato), (boniato, Japanese yam) cut into cubes
- 1 pound auyama (kabocha squash), (west Indian pumpkin, or kabocha squash) cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste), divided
- ½ cup rice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or more to taste)
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro, (optional)
Instructions
Brown meat: Heat a deep-bottomed pot heat over medium heat.Add longaniza and pork chops. Cook and stir until they brown.- Add vegetables: Stir in cubanela, onion, oregano, and garlic, cook, and stir until onion becomes translucent. Stir in guandules, beans, carrot, batata, and auyama, and cook and stir for a minute. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour in 1 qt [1 lt] of water and simmer.
- Cook rice: When the liquid breaks the boil, add the rice, stir.Simmer covered over medium heat until the rice is tender and the grains have doubled in size. Stir frequently to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.Once the rice is cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and remove from the heat.
- Serve: Serve with avocado slices.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
Published Dec 21, 2007, revised
