If there’s a Peruvian cuisine classic it’s lomo saltado which is a type of stir fry. It translates directly as “jumping sirloin” or “jumping filet” and it was born from the cultural mix between the Peruvians and Chinese immigrants which resulted in a spectacular dish. And yes, like many Peruvian dishes it has a double portion of carbs (rice and potatoes) that fight over which tastes the best with the juice from the beef ;).
We always have lomo saltado at my mom’s house and I can really feel its smell if I close my eyes. I can also smell the rice cooking with a touch of garlic that’s in a pot ready to serve. My mom used to crab a bit of that freshly-made rice and eat it with a bit of butter, but don’t tell her I told you hahaha.
Many time we believe that we cannot achieve a good lomo saltado at home but that’s not true. What happens is that we cannot do it in the same way that restaurants cook it with their huge fires. We need a bit more patience and know our stove so that the beef comes out golden and medium in the center with all those intense flavours.
Besides from the ingredients in the picture we also usually add “ají amarillo” or Peruvian yellow chili in strips but as I’m sure you understand it’s not always easy to get Peruvian ingredients when you live out of Perú. So this is also a message to those living outside of Perú that the ají amarillo is extremely good to have but you can still make lomo saltado without it :).
Another thing that I changed was the “greens” in the garnish. It’s usually garnished with parsley or coriander / cilantro but to be honest I have a deep hatred for both hahaha. I don’t like them at all and I think that the spring onion / scallion is a nice option to vary it and at the same time it speaks of the past of this dish ;).
This dish is sometimes served with the fries mixed into the lomo saltado but I don’t like soggy things so I really prefer to see them served on the side in their outmost crispiness. That’s why I’m also taking this chance to teach you how to make a double fried french fries or chips at home that makes them really crispy on the outside and soft in the center.
Peruvian Lomo Saltado
Ingredients
For the rice
- vegetable oil
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 3 tsp salt
For the fries
- 900 g potatoes
- 500 ml vegetable oil
- sal
For the lomo saltado
- 1 kg sirloin / filet of beef clean without membranes and large chunks of fat. Cut in medium-sized squares or strips.
- 100 ml white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 200 ml soy sauce
- 100 ml Peruvian pisco
- 2 tomatoes deseeded and cut in strips
- 1 red onion in slices
- spring onions / scallions
- vegetable oil to cook
Instructions
For the rice
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Grate, mince or purée the garlic and cook with a bit of vegetable oil on medium-low heat.
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Add the rice and stir to heat it up for a couple minutes.
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Add the water and wait for it to start boiling.
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Cover with a lid and let cook for 15-20min on minimum heat or until it dries out. Fluff up with a fork once done and reserve.
For the double fried fries*
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Peel and cut the potatoes in similar sizes for even cooking.
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Let soak for at least 30min in water with 3 tbsp of salt so they release water.
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Remove from the water and tap-dry with kitchen paper.
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Heat up the oil to medium-low heat and cook half of the potatoes. You should only see a few bubbles coming up. Take them out once cooked (try with a knife or toothpick) and put them on kitchen paper to continue with the rest of the potatoes.
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Once the potatoes are out of the oil increase the heat to medium-high and wait for it to heat up. Fry the fries in to batches once again, this time you should see quite a lot of bubbles. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper so it absorbs the excess fat.
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Season with salt and leave them in a preheated oven at 100C while you make the lomo saltado. Remember they don't stay crispy long if you just keep them lying around in the kitchen.
For the lomo saltado
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Heat your pan on really high heat, be patient and let it heat up nicely.
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Add a bit of vegetable oil and put a few chunks of meat but only fill up half of the pan so they can become golden. Don't move them for a minute and then flip them. If you move them around too much they won't sear nicely. It's important that you don't cut them too small so that you give yourself an easier job at not overcooking them.
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Once seared on all sides add 4 tbsp of the soy sauce and vinegar mix and 1 tbsp of pisco. Let it evaporate by half of flambé. To flambé you can use a tight roll of kitchen paper that you light up or a long match.
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Remove the meat from the pan along with the juices and continue with the rest of the meat. The weaker your burners are, the less meat you can cook per batch.
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Repeat the same procedure with the tomatoes and onions.
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If you feel everything's gone cold in the process put everything back in the pan and heat up for a minute. Don't do it longer than that or the meat could overcook.
Si sientes que se enfrió en este proceso puedes retornar todo a la sartén por un minuto para recalentar.
Recipe Notes
*Keep liquids away while you're frying (aka don't stand over the oil with a glass of water) because if it spills it can cause an accident. Also it's best to keep kids out of the kitchen while deep frying.
