I have received far too many complaints that its been awfully quite  here on the Travelling Chopsticks for a number of months, and I apologise. Although I’m not going to go into any details (as that would just be far too boring and tedious) but it was a combination of travelling, wedding planning, lack of inspiration and general funk that I did not managed to bring fingertips to key board for several months.

However that is all about to change and what better comeback recipe than Lomo Saltado. Lomo Saltado is a classic Peruvian dish, which for me is the perfect example of Peruvian cuisine and its diversity.  An absolute testament  to Peru’s Asian influence which so surprised me when I first got to know C. Essentially it’s a stir fry with strips of beef, onion, tomato, soy, vinegar and potatoes giving this dish a wonderful aromatic flavour yet a punchy kick with the aji (Peruvian chili) and vinegar.

In fact Lomo Saltado was one of the first dishes C made for me, and when I first put fork to mouth – it was one of those rare food discovery moments that will live with me forever. It was something so new yet so familiar all at once, it opened up a whole new type of cuisine that I never knew existed, and started my passion for Peruvian food.

You may be asking yourself why I have never written about it before, or even really blogged about Peruvian food, and to be honest, I think I was slightly intimidated by it – that I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. That coupled with the fact that C is the only one that cooks it at home and does it completely by feeling – no cookbooks, no measurements just a bit of this and a bit of that and voila a fantastic meal!

But now I have been sous-chef quite a number of times, and I think I have more or less figured out the quantities as to what makes a great Lomo. So here it goes (wish me luck!)

Ingredients (based on 4 people)

• 2-3 tblsp Vegetable Oil (enough to completely coat the pan)
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 2 steaks , cut into large strips (Ribeye, New York Strip, Skirt Stake)
• 4 tomatoes cut into quarters, seeds and core removed
• 2 large red onion cut into quarters,
• 2 -3 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 1/4 cup Soya Sauce
• 2 tblsp White Vinegar
• 2 large Potatoes cut in wedges (we made our own fried potato wedges, which turned out to be fantastic, but buying store bought is perfect acceptable and will save time and work)
• 3 Aji amarillo de-seeded and cut into thin strips (if you can’t find aji, use a medium heat chilli such as a jalapeno)
• 2 tblsp chopped Parsley
• Juice of ½ lime
• White rice to serve

Hint: Like any stir fry dishe, things tend to go very quickly once you start cooking. So make sure you have chopped up everything beforehand. If you are making your own fries or using ready-made fries, I suggest that you have them ready before you start cooking.

Directions

Heat the oil in the frying pan, until very hot. Meanwhile generously season your beef with salt and pepper.

Add the beef strips to the frying pan and stir continuously until browned on all sides. Add the tomato, onion and garlic and continue to stir for about 3 minutes.

When the onions look partially cooked- slightly transparent and glossy add the soya and vinegar. Stir until well combined then add in your fried potatoes and continue to stir.

Finally add your strips of aji, chopped parsley and squeeze of lime, and one final stir and your ready!

Serve with white rice.

Variations:

There seems to be no hard and fast rule in regards to making Lomo Saltado. Everyone has their own way of cooking it. If you want you can add a bit of cumin when seasoning the beef, or add some dark bear along with the soya and vinegar. Once of the things I love about this dish, as that you can play with the quantities and the ingredient to create something that is to your taste.