Peru: Lomo Saltado

Name: Peru: Lomo Saltado
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Peru
Ingredients: sirloin steak: 1 lb; salt and pepper: to taste; vegetable oil: 3 Tbsp; red onion: 1 large; Tomatoes: 3 medium; soy sauce: 2 Tbsp; red wine vinegar: 3 Tbsp; chicken stock: 1/3 cup; cumin: 2 tsp; cilantro: a few sprigs; green onions: 2; russet potatoes: 2 large; cooking fat: 2 Tbsp; salt and pepper: to taste; iceberg lettuce: 1/2 head; jalapeño: 1; Mayonaise: 1/2 cup; lime juice: 1/4 lime; cilantro: 1/2 cup; salt: 1/2 tsp (+ more, to taste); rice or cauliflower rice: ~3 cups

Cuisine:

Peru

Ingredients

1 lb sirloin steak
thinly sliced
to taste salt and pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion
roughly chopped
3 medium Tomatoes
roughly chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup chicken stock
or beef, vegetable, etc.
2 tsp cumin
a few sprigs cilantro
2 green onions
sliced
For the fries
2 large russet potatoes
2 Tbsp cooking fat
I used duck fat
to taste salt and pepper
Aji sauce
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1 jalapeño
stemmed and deveined
1/2 cup Mayonaise
1/4 lime lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro
packed
1/2 tsp (+ more, to taste) salt
To Serve
~3 cups rice or cauliflower rice

Directions

If we could make some sort of deal to swap Valentine’s Day for a second Halloween, I would most definitely be on board. I think I liked the holiday back in the day when it was just another excuse to craft and get too much candy from my grandparents. Us Waldorfians never messed around with cheap store bought Valentines featuring the character du jour. They were always handmade, which I to this day deem obviously superior. But at some point along the way it became about who got more Valentines – which spoiler alert: was never me. The first year or two Courtney and I were dating I remember being excited about Valentine’s Day again because I finally had a Valentine. That first year he got me drugstore chocolates and a teddy bear I named Gouda because it was soft and cheesy. But even gift with love, cheap chocolate quickly loses its allure, and thanks to Instagram the holiday once again feels like a competition for the best dinner reservation, the prettiest flower arrangement, the sweetest card (see above spoiler alert).

Some years ago I came to terms with the fact that while my husband is wonderful and has many strengths, this was probably never going to be one of them – so I started making reservations myself so I wouldn’t be disappointed. This year I actually made four, because let’s be honest – girl likes to have options. The only problem was, the week of Valentine’s Day arrived and I realized I wasn’t excited about any of them! I felt like I was going to eat too much and spend too much, and the food wasn’t even going to be as good as what I could made at home. So I cancelled them all – making the day of four happy-go-lucky fools who always wait ’til the last minute for reservations and probably never face consequences – and made this amazing Peruvian dish! (I know you were starting to question how this rant would possibly ever come round to lomo saltado – which is fair given the absurd amount of cold meds running through my system at the moment- but have a little faith guys!)

Lomo saltado is a classic Peruvian dish, comprised of marinated sirloin stir-fried (saltado means stir fry!) with onions and tomatoes, served with french fries and rice. The dish is very typical of Chifa, a culinary tradition based on Chinese Cantonese elements fused with traditional Peruvian ingredients and traditions. Chinese immigrants came to Peru from the southern province of Guangdong in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, settling along the coast and in the capital city of Lima. Chifa has become incredibly popular, and there are now more than 6,000 chifa restaurants in Lima alone!

Rather than the green aji sauce I made, this would traditionally call for aji amarillo – a Peruvian orange chili pepper. I’m fortunate that my recipe didn’t call for this, as it can be a bit harder to find here in D.C. – although a coworker did give me a tip as to where I could find it next time! I lightened the dish up by serving it over cauliflower rice and by baking my french fries. I can give or take rice most of the time, and with all else going on here we definitely didn’t miss it at all. I found an awesome recipe for crispy baked fries, and with the duck fat I just bought on Thrive Market, these were as good as the fried version – minus the second degree burns and house full of smoke! For $40 we had a completely gourmet Valentine’s Day dinner – plus enough for lunch the next day too!

Recipe Inspired by Dinner Then Dessert and Layers of Happiness (for crispy baked fries)

Steps

1 Done	For the aji sauce Add the iceberg lettuce, jalapeno, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cilantro and salt to the food processor and combine until completely smooth. Let sit in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
2 Done	For the Fries Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut off the ends. With a very sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin slices about 1/4 inch wide. Add to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. (Place in the fridge if soaking more than an hour). Once soaked, drain, rinse, and lay the fries on a paper towel lined cooling rack to dry while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Blot the tops with additional paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Toss the dried fries with 2 tablespoons of oil + salt and pepper, to taste. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking pan with the fries in a single layer. Don’t overlap or they won’t cook properly. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping with a spatula once or twice after 15 minutes of cooking. Increase heat to 425 degrees and continue baking until the edges look a little burnt!
3 Done	For the Steak Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add soy sauce, vinegar, beef stock and cumin together in a small bowl. Put a pan over very high heat. Add oil and cook half the meat, browning on one side, flipping over and cooking for an additional 2 minutes.Remove meat and repeat with second half. Remove from pan and set aside. Stir in the onion and cook for about 3-5 minutes. If you've run low on oil, add some more so they don't burn. Add the tomatoes and cook for just a minute or two. Stir in soy sauce mixture and remove from heat. Stir the meat back in.
4 Done	To serve Plate rice or cauliflower rice. Spoon the stir-fried meat and vegetables over the rice. You can toss the fries in with the meat and sauce, or serve the fries on the side. I prefer the latter, because they stay crispier. If you keep them separate as I did, drizzle a bit of the juice from the meat over the fries. Now top with dollops of aji sauce!