Lomo Saltado with Yams and Peppers
Source: An Author, A Cookbook, pg 42Boris Mann, Site Name
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak, ribeye or flank
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce,
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar,
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic,
- 2 tsp cumin,
- 2 tsp black pepper,
- 2 bell pepper, mixed red/green/yellow, sliced
- 2 yams, cut into fries
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Chicha, a fantastic Peruvian restaurant in Vancouver, introduced us to the Peruvian stirfry, Lomo Saltado.
I looked up some recipes for guidance1, but I already had a pretty good idea what was in it – some tasty beef briefly cooked, onions, fries, soy sauce and vinegar.
I got two small rib eye steaks, cut them into strips, and trimmed the fat a bit. I then marinated them in the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar, along with the black pepper and cumin.
You can’t really replace fries with anything else, but since the Peruvians cook a lot with yams, I thought I’d try it with pan fried yams. As expected, the yams got too soft. Some sort of baking / broiling is called for to get crispy yam fries.
I made the yams in some coconut oil in a cast iron pan in the oven at 400, cooked for 20 minutes stirring once.
In the mean time, I sliced the onions and cooked them in a wok on low heat with some oil and the fat trimmings until they started getting soft. I added the peppers and garlic and turned the heat to high, stirring the pepper and onion mixture. Once the peppers had a few brown spots, I emptied the pepper-onion mixture on top of the yams and left them on the stovetop.
I removed the steak strips from the marinade and cooked them in a little oil on high heat, maybe 1 - 2 minutes per side. I took the strips out, and poured in the marinade and added the tomatoes.
I let the marinade and tomatoes cook down a bit, then added all the other ingredients back to the wok, mixing thoroughly to coat with sauce.
Serve in a bowl as a one dish meal. Traditionally this often has a fried sunny side up egg on it as well, to add yolky deliciousness everywhere. I garnished with fresh cilantro and some chive flowers. Green onions are the traditional version.
Recipes for Guidance: You’ll find a number of recipes that use frozen french fries. If you’re going to make fries, making your own will taste much more awesome. I found the Dinner, then Dessert recipe as the best guideline. And yes, I should probably make that delicious green aji sauce in the future.
You’ll also often see rice as a side dish. You’re cooking beef with fries – who needs rice?!
