If you are pepper lovers and spicy dishes, but above all if you like to try new and different cuisines, rich in spices and cultural cues, then you just can’t miss preparing at home Lomo saltado, a traditional dish from Peru! It is a single dish made with beef sautéed with chilli, spring onion, tomato and very tasty spices such as cumin and soy sauce, accompanied by a cup of basmati rice and crunchy and tasty fried potatoes. The realization of this recipe is simple, just a few tricks in the kitchen to obtain a really tasty result. The Lomo saltado will transport you in no time among the colorful and fragrant streets of Lima. Passionate about South American cuisine? Then, together with Lomo saltado, try taking a look at the recipe for Argentine Empanadas!

Preparation

1

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1cm sticks.

2

Soak it in 3 liters of cold water and 20 g of coarse salt for about 30 minutes.

3

Place the beef tenderloin on a cutting board and cut it into 1 cm thick slices.

4

Then cut each slice into strips.

5

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan with high sides, leaving it to heat for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the tenderloin and sauté it quickly for 5 minutes.

6

Also add ½ teaspoon of salt and the teaspoon of cumin. Stir and turn off the flame.

7

Heat the oil for frying up to 180°. Dry the potatoes with a cloth and fry them in hot oil until golden brown. When they are ready let them drain on a sheet of absorbent paper and season with a pinch of fine salt.

8

Place the rice in a saucepan and cover it with cold water. The water should be two inches above the surface of the rice. Add a pinch of coarse salt and cook over low heat, with a lid, until the rice has absorbed all the water.

9

Chop the white part of the spring onion. The green part will instead be cut into pieces of about ½ centimetre.

10

Slice the pepper and cut the tomato into cubes.

11

Pour the remaining oil into the pan, add the chopped spring onion and heat it over medium heat. After a few minutes, add the pepper and tomato.

12

Cook for 10 minutes, then add the vinegar, soy sauce and the spring onion leaves.

13

Add the meat and leave to flavor for about ten minutes. Serve the Lomo saltado with a portion of rice and fried potatoes, garnishing with chopped fresh coriander.

Advice and tips

You can replace the ajiamarillo with another pepper to your liking, easier to find in Italian supermarkets. Normally the ajiamarillo it is found in ethnic markets.

Be careful when cooking the meat: if you see that it is cooking too much, immediately turn off the flame, otherwise it will become stringy.

storage

You can store the Lomo saltado in the refrigerator, covered with transparent film or in an airtight container, for 2 days maximum. We do not recommend storing the fries, as they would lose all their crunchiness.

History

Lomo saltado is a Peruvian dish widely consumed throughout the country, born in the mid-nineteenth century when Peru was under the strong influence of China. The use of soy sauce, in fact, comes from Chinese culture; the cooking of the dish should take place in a wok, also an instrument typical of the cuisine of the Rising Sun.