This is a family favourite that my mum brought back from her 
time in Peru. Acquiring the recipe wasn’t quite an easy task, 
as questioning her for it usually resulted in ingredient 
quantities such as “a few cups — no, I’m not sure how many, 
I just know“. No use for those of us who are not capable of 
intuitive kitchen feats! But, after watching her prepare the 
dish and taking careful note of the amounts used, I finally 
have it in writing:


Arroz chaufa
Serves 4

600 g chicken breast 
2 cups* rice 
140 g bacon, diced 
1 slice of cooked ham (about 1 cm thick) 
1 onion 
2 cloves of garlic 
1 bunch of spring onions 
3 eggs 
5 tbsp milk 
soy sauce 
salt 
pepper 
paprika 
oil 
* that’s a normal coffee cup, not the US measurement.

Grab a bowl large enough to hold all of the above ingredients. 

Boil the chicken breasts in salted water until they’re done, 
then cut them up into bite-sized pieces and put them into the 
bowl. 

Cook the rice and add it to the bowl (it is originally 
recommended to use the chicken-water to boil the rice, but I 
never do this). 

Dice the ham. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and the white 
parts of the spring onions. Slice the leaves of the spring 
onions into rings. 

Fry the bacon in a pan until golden brown, then add the ham, 
the chopped onions (including spring onions) and the garlic 
and let them fry for a little bit. Finally, add the spring 
onion leaves and fry them briefly. 

Pour one tablespoon of soy sauce into the pan, then add the 
contents of the pan into the bowl and stir thoroughly. 

Whisk the eggs and the milk together and spice them with 
salt, pepper and paprika. Heat some oil in a frying pan and 
pour the egg mix into the pan. Wait for it to solidify and 
bake from both sides like a pancake. Then tear it into 
little pieces and add them to the bowl. 

Stir the contents of the bowl thoroughly and add salt, 
pepper, paprika, and soy sauce (it can probably take a few 
tablespoons) to taste. 

It’s best to let this dish rest for a few hours so the 
flavours can mingle. Tastes great both hot or cold, and 
works equally well as a main dish or as a kind of rice 
salad at barbeques