Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef and Fries Stir-Fry)
Peru's beloved Chinese-Peruvian stir-fry: beef, red onion and tomato tossed over fierce heat in soy and vinegar, served with fries and white rice.
Method
Cut the beef against the grain into strips 1 cm thick and 5 cm long. Toss with the salt, pepper, cumin and half the minced garlic, and leave for 10 minutes. Cut the red onion into 8 wedges and separate the layers; cut the tomatoes into 8 wedges and scoop out the seeds. Cut the potatoes into 1 cm sticks, rinse them in cold water and dry them completely with paper towel. Mix the soy sauce and vinegar in a cup. Have the rice cooked and kept warm.
Add in this stepBeef sirloin 300 gSalt (for the beef) 3 pinchBlack pepper 2 pinchGround cumin ½ tspGarlic cloves 1Soy sauce 2 tbspRed wine vinegar 1 tbsp
Pour at least 4 cm of frying oil into a 22 cm deep pot (never more than a third full) and heat over medium-high heat for to about 175 °C. It is ready when a potato stick dropped in bubbles vigorously right away.
Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 1 L
medium-high heatFry the potatoes in 1 batch(es), per batch, keeping the heat at medium-high heat. Lift them out when golden and crisp, drain on a rack and salt at once. Make sure they are dry before frying, or the oil will spit.
Add in this stepPotatoes 400 gSalt (for the fries) 2 pinch
medium-high heatHeat 1 tbsp oil in your largest frying pan or wok (28 to 32 cm) over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Spread the beef in a single layer and sear in 1 batch(es), per batch. Do not move it for the first minute. Take it out when dark brown outside and still pink inside.
Add in this stepOil for stir-frying 1½ tbsp
high heatAdd the rest of the oil to the pan. Over high heat, stir-fry the remaining garlic and the ají amarillo for 10 seconds, then add the onion and stir-fry for , until the edges are slightly charred but the onion is still crunchy. Add the tomato and stir-fry for only , stopping as soon as the skins wrinkle; longer and they turn to mush.
Add in this stepOil for stir-frying 1 tbspGarlic cloves 1Ají amarillo paste (Peruvian yellow chili) 1½ tspRed onion 150 gFirm tomatoes 1½
high heatReturn the beef and its juices. Pour the soy-vinegar mix around the edge of the pan so it sizzles, and toss over high heat for until the sauce glazes everything. Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and fold in half the fries.
Add in this stepCilantro, chopped 2 tbsp
high heatPress the rice into a cup and turn it out onto each plate. Spoon the lomo saltado and its juices alongside and pile the remaining fries on top so they stay crisp. Eat right away.
Add in this stepFreshly cooked white rice 300 g
Cook's tip
If the pan is not hot enough or you crowd the beef, it releases water and steams instead of searing. No ají amarillo? Finely chop a quarter of a yellow bell pepper and add a pinch of chili. To skip deep-frying, toss the potatoes in oil and roast at 220 °C for 30 minutes.
Cooking it at camp
A pot of hot frying oil is risky at a campsite, so fry the potatoes at home or pan-fry frozen fries in plenty of oil in a cast-iron skillet. Bring the beef cut and seasoned in the cooler, and stir-fry in small batches over a strong burner in cast iron for real smoky flavor.