Peruvian Lomo saltado with wok
Lomo saltado (in Spain we would say stir-fried) is proof that if you like to have fun in the kitchen, you need a wok. This dish was born in Peru but has a clear influence from China, where the wok is an indispensable tool in all kitchens.
You’re going to love this stir-fry for its touch, which blends the exotic with classic flavors. The secret to its preparation is based on the stir-frying technique: very little oil, a lot of heat and movement, to sear the meat and leave the vegetables crispy. The wok is the perfect vessel for this type of dish. Here’s a feast of flavors and you’re invited!
Serve 2 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes, no more
Difficulty: if you haven’t sautéed before, you’ll have to practice a bit.
You need:
For 2 people
- 1 pork tenderloin cut into cubes
- 2 onions/scallions chopped, not minced
- 2 Italian green peppers, chopped
- A few sliced mushrooms
- A couple of grated tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic and a piece of ginger, minced
- Soy Sriracha Sauce to taste (be careful, it’s spicy)
- Sunflower oil (olive oil also works, but it strongly impacts the flavor)
- Cilantro
- diced fried potatoes
How is it done?
Everything is stir-fried separately so that the vegetables remain crispy and the meat is just seared. Stir-frying is that impressive technique of shaking the pan with your wrist so that the ingredients “jump” out of the wok and fall back in. Try it and you’ll see that it’s easier than it looks, but if you don’t trust your wrist, move everything with a wooden spatula.
It must be a quick operation; sautéing is the complete opposite of poaching; you work with medium/high heat and move a lot so that the ingredients cook without burning or softening.
Before removing from the wok, each ingredient is “seasoned” with a splash of soy sauce, allowing it to reduce and absorb the flavor (that’s all the salt it contains).
Finally, sauté the garlic and ginger for one minute, add the grated tomato and let it reduce, add Sriracha according to how hot you like it, and pour everything back into the wok for a couple of minutes, so that the flavors integrate and the meat finishes cooking. Pour it into the dish where you are going to serve it and, if you want to accompany it, fry a couple of very crispy potatoes, mix and finish with a lot of chopped cilantro.
Don’t skip any steps and you’ll love the result!
