Looking back on this semester, I felt like The Cactus was lacking in all things Peru. So, I decided to find a Peruvian recipe for this edition. The recipe I ended up choosing was lomo saltado, a ubiquitous Peruvian recipe. It’s a pretty simple recipe, with mostly easy to find ingredients. Interestingly enough, lomo saltado includes french fries, which is somewhat unusual for a stir-fry. However, lomo saltado, for as much as it is a Peruvian dish, is also a Chinese dish. It’s thought that the dish evolved into being with the influx of Chinese migrants into Peru in the mid-1800s.

Lomo saltado is a dish made widely throughout Peru, and there are many different variations of it. The version I made didn’t have any aji amarillo peppers, firstly because I couldn’t find any, and secondly because I’m a wuss about spicy foods. Instead I subbed in some chili powder.

Lomo Saltado
Ingredients
1 lb. beef cut, cubed or sliced*
Ground pepper
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 large tomato
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Chili powder/aji amarillo/ pepper of your choice
1 cup uncooked rice
Frozen steak fries

1.Slice or cube your beef cut into edible chunks, toss with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the ground pepper, and let marinate.

2.Cut the onion in half, and then slice all of it. Deseed and wash the tomato, and cut into strips like the onion. Combine the onion and tomato in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and let marinate. If you are going to add pepper, deseed and slice it before adding it as well.

3.Prepare the fries and rice however you wish. I baked the fries, and boiled the rice on the stove, so it all finished at the same time. If you do the same, put the rice in the pot, and the fries in the oven, and the meat in the pan all at the same time.

4.Heat a big pan or wok to medium high, with about a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil. Add the meat, stir fry it for about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato/onion/pepper mix and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

5.Add the remaining 2 teaspoons each of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook for another few minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated.

6.Serve with rice and fries. You can mix it all together in true stir-fry style, or keep them all separate.

* Something that cooks quickly and tenderly would be good. Cheap beef, if you can find it, is ideal. I used chuck-eye steak, which was on sale, and it was pretty good} else {