Beef | Comfort food | Latin America | Main dishes | Meat | Peru | South America | Spicy
Peruvian Lomo Saltado (Beef Stir Fry with Fries)
Peru’s most famous beef stir fry, Lomo Saltado, brings together tender beef, French fries, and a flavorful soy-vinegar sauce that’s impossible to resist! Born from the intersection of Peruvian and Asian cuisines, this hearty dish tells the story of cultural fusion on a plate.
What is lomito saltado?
Lomo saltado, also known as lomito, is a Peruvian stir fried beef dish that combines tender strips of beef with onions, tomatoes, and French fries in a savory-tangy sauce. This dish exemplifies “Chifa” cuisine – the Chinese-Peruvian fusion cooking style that emerged from Chinese immigration to Peru in the late 19th century.
Ingredients Needed
- Beef Steak: NY strip steak provides the perfect balance of tenderness and flavor, with enough marbling to stay juicy during high-heat cooking! But you can make Peruvian beef stir fry with other tender cuts of steak like skirt steak, too.
- Oil: To sear the steak, use a high smoke point oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Red Onion: Adds flavor and sweetness when cooked, with large slices maintaining texture during stir-frying.
- Garlic: For a depth of savory flavor!
- Tomatoes: Their firm flesh and lower water content make them ideal for stir-frying without becoming mushy.
- Balsamic Vinegar & Rice Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar adds richness and hint of sweetness and rice vinegar brings a bright acidity.
- Soy Sauce: Contributes umami depth and salt, helping to create the signature sauce!
- Peruvian Ají Amarillo: These Peruvian yellow chilies provide distinctive fruity heat and authentic flavor.
- Cilantro & Scallions: Added at the end for brightness and color.
- To serve: Serve your lomo saltado with French fries, rice, Peruvian-style red pickled onions, and avocado!
How to Make Lomo Saltado
- Season: Season steak strips with salt and pepper.
- Preheat: Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over high heat.
- Sear: Sear the meat strips over high heat and remove from the skillet, reserve for later.
- Add Onions: In the same skillet, cook the onion slices over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Cook Garlic: Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add Tomatoes: Add the tomato pieces, mix and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Combine: Add the seared meat strips back into the skillet, and add the balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and thin strips of Peruvian yellow peppers. Mix well and cook over high heat for another minute.
- Sprinkle with Garnishes: Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.
- Add Fries if Desired: If you prefer to mix in the French fries with the lomo saltado you can do so, if not you can serve them as a side.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve with white rice, Peruvian style pickled red onions, and avocado
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally this lomo saltado recipe is served with white rice and French fries, lomo saltado offers a delightful carb-packed experience typical of Peruvian cuisine. Add pickled red onions for tang and sliced avocado for creamy richness. Present the dish family-style, with the stir-fry in the center and accompaniments arranged around it, when you are feeding a crowd!
If you love lomo saltado and want a slightly different version, try my pork lomo saltado, too! You can also make a variation with chicken or a vegan / vegetarian version using mushrooms or eggplant.
Tips for Success
- Prep the beef: Cut the beef against the grain and ensure all pieces are similar in size for even cooking.
- Sear at a high heat: Use very high heat and don’t overcrowd the pan to achieve proper searing! You want a good color on the outside, without overcooking the inside.
- Don’t overcook the veggies: Cook vegetables quickly to maintain their crunch and shape!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy Peruvian ají amarillo?
You can find Peruvian mild yellow chili peppers jarred online or in Latin American markets (in jars whole, in paste, or frozen whole)!
Is Peruvian lomo saltado spicy?
The heat level is adjustable. Traditional preparation with ají amarillo provides a little bit of heat, but not too much. You can reduce or omit the chilies for a milder version.
What can I substitute for ají amarillo?
Yellow bell peppers with a small jalapeño or red fresno chili provide a similar color and heat level. If you like it extra spicy you can use habaneros. For authentic flavor, look for the jarred ajíes amarillos, or aji amarillo paste in Latin American markets.
Peruvian Lomo Saltado (Beef Stir Fry with Fries)
This Peruvian fusion dish is made with beef steak, onions, garlic, tomatoes, soy sauce, vinegar, and aji amarillo peppers. It is served with fries, rice, and pickled onions.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs. of beef steak – I used aNY steak cut sliced into medium size strips
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 large red onion cut into large slices
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 roma tomatoes cut into eights or wedges, and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar add more to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 to 2 ajíes amarillos or Peruvian yellow chili peppers seeds removed, and cut into thin strips or finely diced – replace with other spicy peppers or mild sweet peppers for non-spicy version
- 1 tbs of finely chopped cilantro
- 2 green onions or scallions finely chopped
To serve:
- French fries
- Rice
- Peruvian style pickled red onions add diced aji amarillo to make them Peruvian style
- Avocado optional
Instructions
- Season steak strips with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in skillet or wok over high heat. Sear the meat strips over high heat.
- Remove from the skillet, reserve for later.
- In the same skillet, cook the red onion slices over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato pieces, mix and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the seared meat strips back into the skillet, and add the balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and thin strips of Peruvian yellow peppers. Mix well and cook over high heat for another minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.
- If you prefer to mix in the French fries with the lomo saltado you can do so, if not you can serve the fries as a side.
- Serve with white rice, Peruvian style pickled red onions, and avocado (optional).
Lomo Saltado step by step preparation photos:
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