Peru · Meat Dishes

Lomo Saltado

40 min4 servings690 kcal

Lomo saltado is a beef stir-fry from the chifa kitchens of Peru, where Cantonese cooking technique met Peruvian ingredients from the late nineteenth century onward.

Lomo Saltado

Ingredients

  • beef sirloin600 g
  • potatoes500 g
  • red onions2 pieces
  • plum tomatoes3 pieces
  • ají amarillo1 piece
  • garlic3 cloves
  • soy sauce3 tbsp
  • red wine vinegar2 tbsp
  • vegetable oil3 tbsp
  • chopped coriander3 tbsp
  • fine sea salt1 tsp
  • ground black pepper0.5 tsp
  • white rice300 g
  • vegetable oil for deep-frying1 l

Method

  1. 1Cut the sirloin across the grain into strips about 1.5 cm thick and 6 cm long, then dry them thoroughly on paper towel and season with the salt and pepper. Surface moisture is what turns the meat grey and stewed instead of seared, and no amount of heat compensates for it.
  2. 2Cut the potatoes into 1 cm batons and fry them twice: 5 minutes at 150 °C until soft but pale, then a second pass of 3 minutes at 190 °C until they are deep gold and rigid. Drain on a rack, never on a covered plate, or the steam softens them again. Use separate frying oil for this, not the 3 tablespoons meant for the wok: 1 litre in a heavy pot about 20 cm across gives roughly 3 cm of oil, enough to fry the batons in two batches.
  3. 3Cut the red onions through the root into 1.5 cm wedges and separate the petals, cut the tomatoes into wedges and scrape out the seeds and watery centre, and slice the ají amarillo into thin strips after removing its ribs. Cook the rice now, and have everything within arm's reach of the stove.
  4. 4Heat a wok or a wide steel pan over the highest heat until a drop of water vanishes on contact and the oil shimmers. Sear the beef in two batches with a tablespoon of oil each, leaving it untouched for the first 30 seconds and then tossing for another 30 to 60, until browned outside and still pink inside. Remove to a plate.
  5. 5Add the last of the oil, then the onion petals and the ají amarillo, and toss for 60 to 90 seconds. The onion should soften at the edges and keep a crisp core: at this stage it is still meant to snap when bitten.
  6. 6Return the beef, add the crushed garlic for 20 seconds, then pour the soy sauce and vinegar down the hot side of the pan so they hiss and reduce on contact rather than pooling. Add the tomato wedges and toss 30 to 45 seconds, just until they warm through and release a little juice without collapsing.
  7. 7Take the pan off the heat, fold in the fried potatoes and the coriander with two or three turns only, and serve at once alongside the rice. The potatoes are meant to carry the pan sauce for the minute it takes to get to the table, not to sit in it.