Peruvian Food Friday: Lomo Saltado

Running a little late in the day on Friday, but I am determined to get up this post inaugurating Peruvian Food Fridays!  So let's talk about the classic, easy and delicious Peruvian dish called lomo saltado.

Num-nums lomo saltado!
  Creative Commons licensed photo by HugoMon.

Lomo means steak, basically, and saltado literally means jumped because to make this dish you stir fry up the ingredients and make them jump around in the pan.  I love lomo saltado at home and in restaurants because it is easy to make and hard to mess up:  coarsely chopped and lightly cooked tomatoes and onions cooked up in a tangy, salty, beefy mess flavored with cumin, soy sauce and, if you're classy, a little red wine. The key is to fold in a heap of french fries just before serving on top of white rice.  I'm getting hungry just writing this....

Click the link below for the full recipe and instructions!



Lomo Saltado
1/4-1/2 pound of beef, a variety of steak cuts will work for this recipe.
2 or 3 potatoes, depending on the size.
3 or 4 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or coarsely diced
1 whole onion, cut in strips or diced
Several cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
Hot pepper, diced, to taste. (In Peru I use fresh chopped rocoto. You can substitute a little fresh jalapeno or any spicy pepper with a fruity flavor.)
1/2 tsp. cumin, or more
1-2 bay leaves
Good soy sauce
Optional splashes of red wine
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying and cooking
1-2 cups rice for eating on the side
Cilantro, parsley and lime to garnish

Equipment:
Two pans: one for frying the potatoes and one for preparing the dish. I like to fry in cast iron but any wide-mouthed, heavy-bottomed pan will do as long as the fries can spread out in one layer.
Metal, wooden or other heat resistant spatula(s)

The Rice
1. Rice generally cooks up to 3 times the dry amount.  However much you cook, it should be prepared in a 1-part-rice to 1.75-parts-water ratio, approximately
3. Steam your rice as you usually do. Lomo saltado will always be found with white rice in Peru, but brown would be fine too.

The Potatoes
The fries can be prepared first and set aside. Or you can be frying and cooking the other ingredients on two burners, depending on your ability or desire to multi-task.

1. Wash the potatoes and decide if you want to peel them; Peruvians always peel but sometimes I like to leave it on.  Cut them into chunky fries, try to keep them uniform in thickness for even cooking. Give the cut fries a little rinse in a strainer and pat dry on a clean towel, or lay out to air dry a bit while you chop other ingredients.
2. Lay out a plate or cookie sheet with a couple layers of clean newspaper or paper towels to drain the oily fries as you cook, with extra paper on the side.
3. Heat the frying oil in the pan on fairly high heat; I usually use a basic cheap vegetable oil.  You will want enough to cover the bottom of your pan and pool slightly.  When the oil is warmed in a minute or two, put enough potatoes in the pan to cover the bottom in one layer. You may want to fry in 2 or more batches; too many fries in the pan leads to sogginess.  Toss lightly to coat with oil, make sure the fries are in an even layer and let fry.
4. Toss and rearrange the fries every 3-5 minutes but don't move them around too much so they can become crispy on the outside. I also like to salt the fries with fine salt while they are cooking.
5. When the potatoes start to look golden, test one to see if it is cooked to your liking (don't burn your tongue!)  If you found yourself a good sturdy frying potato to use, you can cook the fries for quite a while and they will get nice and crispy instead of falling apart.
6. As the fries are cooked, lay them out to drain on the paper and sprinkle with more salt as desired. Set aside to be added to the main dish.

The Saltado
1. In your other pan, heat a little oil and saute the onions and bay leaves on high heat.  After a minute, add the garlic, hot pepper and cumin.  Add a little salt and pepper, too.
2. After a couple more minutes, throw in the beef and stir together.  Maybe turn down the heat a little and let this cook, stirring occasionally.
3. When the meat juices begin to dry up or things start sticking, add a few splashes of soy sauce and/or red wine.  Add a little at a time and let the liquids cook down before adding more.  More salt and pepper.
4.  When the beef is cooked to your liking, add the tomatoes.You can also add a final splash of soy sauce or wine, if you want more juiciness.  Stir and cook the tomatoes so they soften and break down a little but turn off the heat while they are still holding their shape. Lick the spoon and add a final bit of salt and pepper if needed.
5. Still in the pan, dump in the french fries you have set aside and gently fold them in, coating them in the sauce.
6. Serve a heaping portion immediately on a bed of white rice and sprinkle with chopped herbs and a wedge of lime to squeeze on top.


Let me know how it goes!