The Best Lomo Saltado Recipe

Lomo saltado is probably one of the best-loved and best-known Peruvian dishes after ceviche. It is also a great (and delicious) example of the cultural melting pot that is Lima. The Chinese gave the dish its stir fried cooking style, as well as the addition of soy sauce and ginger. This was added to typical Peruvian creole ingredients, like tomatoes, red onions, cumin, aji panca, and the ever-present cilantro. Throw in some sliced steak into the mix, and top it off with French-inspired frites, and you have yourself an edible microcosm of Limeno culture.

To keep with Chinese tradition - and to give it a great flavor - lomo saltado should be cooked in a very hot wok. However, you can also use a saute pan. Make sure to use oils with high smoking points, such as vegetable or peanut so you can properly sear the beef. It only takes a few minutes to cook lomo saltado after all the ingredients are prepared, so also make sure that you have your white rice already cooked and your french fries kept warm in the oven.

I've made this recipe for lomo saltado for many parties and dinners, and people consistently say it's the best one that they've had. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb steak (sirloin, flap, skirt, even minute steak) cut into 1/2" thick strips
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1.5 t freshly grated ginger
• 1 T aji panca paste
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 t worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 t ground black pepper
• 1/4 t ground cumin
• 1/4 t ground coriander
• 1 read onion, feathered into 1" thick slices
• 3 plum tomatoes, quartered lenght-wise
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 1 10 oz. bag frozen french fries

1. Place steak, garlic, ginger, aji panca, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and spices into a bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 30 min. to 1 hour.
   
2. While steak is marinating, prepare frozen french fries as directed on package. Keep cooked french fries in the oven to keep warm at about 200 degrees F.
3. Heat 1 T vegetable oil in a wok or saute pan over high heat until you see ripples in the oil, or the oil "dances"
4. Place half the steak into the wok or pan. Do not add any of the liquid from the marinating bowl, just the steak and whatever marinade that has clung to it. It is important to keep this in mind, or you will end up with a soupy lomo saltado.
5. Stir fry until just browned, then remove from the plan and place into a bowl
   
6. Add 1 T vegetable oil to the wok or pan and wait until the it becomes hot again and the oil ripples or "dances" in the wok or pan.
   
7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining steak.
8. Add 1 T vegetable oil to the wok or pan until hot. Add red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. The onions should still retain some crunch and texture to them, so make sure not to overcook them.
9. Add the tomatoes and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the skin starts to loosen from the the tomatoes and they begin to look soft. Remember that this is not a stew, so make sure not to overcook the vegetables
10. Add the steak and stir for about 1 minute. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro.
11. Plate individually, or in a single serving dish, and top with french fries.

Serves 2 - 3 people

***To really sex it up, add 1/4 cup of pisco to the pan before adding the cilantro and flambee it . This works best if you have a gas stove. If not, the recipe is fabulous just the way it is