Pasta, sushi, and Chinese don’t have to be your only options for a foreign experience. Peruvian cuisine is rapidly becoming a global sensation. A good introduction to this amazing taste can happen right in your home with this “Lomo Saltado” recipe. Because of the country’s Asian influence, stir-fry flavors like soy sauce are added to the South American spicy flavors. If you like more, explore more of the Peruvian cuisine at a restaurant nearby called Taste of Peru.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients: 1 pound beef sirloin (or any tender, light meat strip) 1/4 red onion, chopped into 2 inch pieces 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped into 2 inch pieces Salt and pepper as needed 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoon chopped garlic 1/4 teaspoon cumin (if available, use yellow peruvian spice instead)
Directions: 1. Chop the tomatoes and onions into slices.
Photo by Aurelie Corinthios
2. Cut your meat into bite sized pieces and spread out on a carving board or baking dish.
Tip: You should be cutting out as much fat as you can.
3. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil.
5. Add garlic to the oil and let cook for 2 minutes.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown, lower the heat.
6. Add the meat to the skillet.
7. Add the soy sauce and the vinegar to the meat.
8. Wait until the meat begins to cook (about 3 minutes) before adding the onions. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Add the tomatoes and let cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Tip: Taste a tomato and onion to make sure they’re not crunchy anymore.
Photo by Aurelie Corinthios
10. Stir in the cumin. 11. Remove skillet from heat and serve (without the sauce). Tip: You can add the sauce if you would like but the meat should be soft and moist enough on its own. 12. Add baked fries on top of beef stir fry (optional). 13. Enjoy!
Photo by Aurelie Corinthios
Spice it up: Serve with rice and french fries to complete this traditional dish! If you’d like, bake your own fries with yellow potatoes or use steak fries. You can also use sweet potato fries for to vary the flavors a bit too.