P
Peruvian
Lomo Saltado
Lomo saltado is Peru's emblematic chifa (Peruvian-Chinese fusion) dish — marinated strips of beef sirloin stir-fried in a wok at extreme heat with tomatoes, ají amarillo chilli, red onion, soy sauce, vinegar, and coriander, served over white rice and with fried potatoes, so that the beef's charred cooking juices and the soy-vinegar sauce are simultaneously absorbed by the rice and the fries. The dish is the most visible evidence of the chifa culinary tradition established by Cantonese immigrants to Peru in the 19th century: the wok technique, soy sauce, and rapid stir-frying are Chinese; the ají amarillo, potato, and Peruvian spirit vinegar are Andean. The potatoes must be fried separately at high heat and added to the wok at the last moment so they remain crisp.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the marinade and beef
700 g
beef sirloin
cut against the grain into strips approximately 1 cm thick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
1 tbsp
Peruvian spirit vinegar
for the marinade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
pisco
Peruvian brandy, for flambéing on first contact in the wok
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the stir-fry
1
ají amarillo chilli
seeds removed, cut into thin strips
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 large
red onion
cut into wedges
Your own market
2 medium
1 tbsp
vinegar
Peruvian spirit vinegar, added to the wok
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15 g
fresh coriander
leaves and fine stems, roughly chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
neutral oil
high smoke-point, for the wok
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the fried potatoes
500 g
floury potatoes
peeled and cut into batons, fried separately at high heat until crisp
Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →
1 litre
neutral oil
for deep-frying the potatoes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To serve
300 g
long-grain white rice
cooked by absorption method, kept warm
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a bowl. Add the beef strips and turn to coat. Leave for exactly 10 minutes — no longer, as the acid continues to denature the protein beyond this point. The surface of the beef should appear lightly darkened and glossy.
2
Fry the potato batons in neutral oil at high heat until the exterior is fully crisp and golden. Drain on paper and hold uncovered in a warm place. The crust must yield an audible crack when pressed — softness at this stage cannot be recovered.
3
Heat the wok over maximum flame until it begins to smoke visibly. Add the oil and allow it to shimmer and haze. Lift the beef from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and lay the strips in a single layer. Add the pisco immediately — the alcohol will ignite or flash rapidly, caramelising the beef surface and developing the fruity, lightly woody aromatic that distinguishes this preparation. Do not move the beef for 30 seconds. The exterior must show a dark, charred sear; any grey or steamed surface means the heat was insufficient and the dish is already compromised.
4
Turn the beef once. Add the ají amarillo strips and red onion wedges. Toss continuously for 60 seconds over sustained maximum heat — the onion edges should colour and blister at the tips while retaining structure at the centre.
From the canon — Ají amarillo (Capsicum baccatum) — Peru's most important chilli — is the single most distinctive flavour in Peruvian cooking. Ají Amarillo: Peru's Essential Chilli →
5
Add the tomato wedges, the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, and the tablespoon of vinegar. Toss for a further 30 seconds. The tomatoes must soften slightly and release their juices into the pan without collapsing; they must not steam the meat. The wok should hiss sharply with each addition.
6
Add the fried potatoes to the wok in the final 30 seconds. Toss once or twice to coat them lightly in the pan juices. They must retain their crispness under the fingertip — any yielding texture means they were added too early or the wok heat had dropped. Scatter the coriander over the top and remove immediately from the heat.
7
Serve directly onto warmed plates alongside a portion of white rice, so that the charred cooking juices and soy-vinegar sauce are positioned to be absorbed simultaneously by the rice and the fries. The dual starch structure is the dish's cultural identity and is not rearranged.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Grass-fed Peruvian or Argentine sirloin, dry-aged a minimum of 21 days; ají amarillo sourced fresh from a Latin American specialist; Peruvian pisco of a named single-varietal grape for the flambé; Peruvian spirit vinegar.
02
Estate — Well-aged sirloin from a known butcher; fresh or frozen ají amarillo from a specialist supplier; commercial pisco; good-quality rice wine or white wine vinegar in place of Peruvian spirit vinegar.
03
Market — Supermarket sirloin, well trimmed; ají amarillo paste (jarred) in place of fresh chilli, added with the onion; brandy substituted for pisco; standard white wine vinegar.
04
House — Any sirloin-grade beef; ají amarillo paste; the pisco step omitted; standard vinegar. The wok heat requirement remains the single non-negotiable regardless of ingredient rung.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The beef surface shows a dark, charred sear with no grey or steamed patches before the vegetables are added.
◇Sound. The wok hisses sharply with each addition of liquid or wet ingredient; any diminishing of the hiss signals a drop in heat requiring immediate correction.
◇Touch. The fried potatoes resist fingertip pressure and retain a perceptible crunch when transferred to the wok at the final stage.
◇Smell. A smoky, slightly charred aroma — the wok hei — is present throughout cooking; absence of this smoke indicates insufficient heat.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies at the moment the beef meets the wok: without sustained maximum heat producing a visible, smoky char on the surface, the result is steamed meat in sauce — technically edible, but not lomo saltado.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance