Lomo Saltado
What makes lomo saltado stand out? It has two carbs in one dish: crispy potato fries and steamed rice.
Serves4
Prep15 minutes
Cook7 minutes
One of the most famous chifa (Chinese-Peruvian cuisine) dishes is lomo saltado — a quick mashup of ingredients and techniques that reflect both of the cultures that brought it to fruition. The trickiest ingredient to find, depending on where you live, might be ají amarillo, a yellow-ish orange Peruvian chili pepper with a fruity flavor that balances its heat. If you can’t find fresh ají amarillo in the produce section of your local Latin market, look for them in the frozen aisle. If you still can’t find it, it’s fine to substitute a deseeded serrano or jalapeño pepper.
Key Ingredients in Lomo Saltado
The dish features indigenous ingredients from South America and China including the following:
- Steak
- Tomatoes
- Red onion
- Ají amarillo chilies
- French fries
- Soy sauce
- Rice
How to Serve Lomo Saltado
It may seem odd to have two carbs in one dish, but lomo saltado must be served with both crispy potato fries and steamed rice — staple carbs in both Chinese and Peruvian cuisines. However, you have options for how you serve them: Some like the rice and fries on the side, while others toss the fries in with the stir-fry. You can also layer everything like a rice bowl with rice on the bottom, topped with fries, then topped with the stir-fry.
What Kind of Beef to Use in Lomo Saltado
Lomo is Spanish for “loin,” but you have a few options here. The key is to use a tender and quick-cooking cut. Beef tenderloin (also called the filet mignon) is the most buttery but also the most expensive and least flavorful. For these reasons, we prefer to slice up some beef loin flank steak, sirloin, or skirt steak.
Lomo Saltado Recipe
What makes lomo saltado stand out? It has two carbs in one dish: crispy potato fries and steamed rice.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 7 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds
flank steak
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
ground black pepper
- 1
large red onion
- 1
fresh or frozen ají amarillo chili pepper
- 2 cloves
garlic
- 2
medium plum tomatoes
- 1/4 bunch
fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons
neutral oil, such as grapeseed oil, divided
- 1/4 cup
red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons
soy sauce
- 2 cups
cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
- 2 cups
French fries, prepared fresh or from frozen, for serving
Instructions
Cut 1 1/2 pounds flank steak across the grain into rough 3x1/2 inch strips and place in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the following: Halve and cut 1 large red onion into 1/2-inch thick slices. Stem 1 fresh or frozen ají amarillo chili pepper and slice crosswise into thin rounds. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Core and cut 2 medium plum tomatoes into 8 wedges. Finely chop the leaves and tender stems from 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro until you have 1 tablespoon.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil in a wok or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add half the beef and spread into a single layer. Cook until browned, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat cooking the remaining beef and adding to the plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil to the pan. Add the onion and cook just until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to the plate with the beef.
Add tomatoes to the pan and sear one side until blistered, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and ají amarillo and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons soy sauce, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the beef, onion, and the accumulated juices on the plate to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
Divide 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice and 2 cups French fries between 4 plates. Spoon the lomo saltado onto the plates with the pan juices, then garnish with the cilantro.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over medium heat in a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through.