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Recipe: Pan con chicharrón (Peruvian pork roll)
Pan con chicharrón is one of the most iconic sandwiches of my home country. This is the Peruvian version of pork roll commonly eaten for breakfast or lonche (afternoon tea). Chicharrón commonly refers to fried pork in many former Spanish colonies. In Peru, however, you can also find chicharrón de pollo (chicken), pescado (fish), mariscos (seafood), etc. But back to pork! Peruvian chicharrón is cooked similarly to Mexican carnitas: boiled until the water is evaporated and then fried, traditionally in lard but these days usually in oil. Then it’s served in a French-style bread roll with slices of camote frito (fried sweet potato) and salsa criolla (lime-marinated onions). My version…
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Recipe: Lomo saltado (Peruvian beef stir-fry)
Lomo saltado is one of my favourite Peruvian dishes. It’s a result of the fusion between Cantonese and Peruvian (i.e. Andean and Spanish) cuisines. This traditional dish consists of strips of beef tenderloin or sirloin (“lomo” in Spanish) stir-fried with onion and tomato wedges, soy sauce and vinegar. It is served with rice and potato chips. You can use tenderloin or sirloin, but any stir-fry cut works well as long as you don’t overcook the meat. As with any stir-fry it’s very important that you get your wok or pan super hot before adding the meat. If you don’t eat beef, there are versions of this dish that use chicken…
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Recipe: Tacu tacu (Peruvian rice and beans)
Every developing country has a traditional rice and beans dish. In Perú we call it “tacu tacu” and it involves a little more than just rice plus beans on a plate. If eaten by itself, tacu tacu is gluten-free and vegan. However, tacu tacu is normally eaten as a side dish or with some add-on toppings. Common toppings include a fried egg, a fried egg + fried plantains (“a lo pobre” or poor style), a fried egg + fried plantains + steak, grilled or fried fish, seafood sauce, etc. I prefer to serve it with some protein and a salad and have included a list of traditional topping ideas in…
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Recipe: Easy seco de cordero (Peruvian lamb coriander stew)
Easy seco de cordero is a weeknight-friendly version of the classic Peruvian lamb and coriander stew, which happens to be one of my favourite Peruvian dishes. What makes it easy is the use of ground lamb instead of stew cuts that must be cooked low and slow. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Seco is traditionally served with rice plus beans, potatoes or yuca (cassava). The starches help soak up the sauce. Feel free to serve it with cauliflower rice or your choice of vegetables and/or salad for a lower-carb version. Top with some salsa criolla for added freshness. If you don’t have ají amarillo paste, you can sub other…
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Recipe: Salsa criolla (Peruvian pickled onions)
Salsa criolla (Peruvian pickled onions) is an essential accompaniment to all sorts of dishes, such as tamales, arroz con pollo, chicharrón, seco and papa rellena. Of course you don’t need to make Peruvian food to enjoy salsa criolla. You can pair it up with any rich and/or dish that is on the dry side and could use some a bit of juicy tangy zing. If you have time, prepare the onions several hours before using them. They keep well in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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Recipe: Peruvian-style split peas with ham
Split peas (“arvejitas partidas”) are fairly common legumes in the Peruvian diet. They’re cheap, tasty and very nutritious. Enjoy these Peruvian-style split peas with ham with garlicky rice and a fried egg for a hearty meal. In Perú we mostly use green split peas but feel free to use any kind you can find (i.e. yellow or read). Mum used to cook them with bacon but I used ham in this recipe. You can obviously omit the meat if you’re a vegetarian. If that’s the case, I’d suggest you use smoked salt and/or a pinch of smoked paprika for that smokey flavour you’ll be lacking. Finally, if you don’t have…
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Recipe: Peruvian hot chocolate
In Perú there’s no such thing as Christmas in July. Instead, we eat and drink all the wintery Christmas stuff in the middle of summer. The large Christmas eve dinner of roasted turkey (or suckling pig), applesauce and/or mash, Russian salad, rice, etc. is followed by hot chocolate and panettone. Peruvian hot chocolate is made with blocks of bitter cooking chocolate that are simmered with spices and then mixed with evaporated milk and sugar. It is not a “light” beverage by any stretch of imagination. However, when the weather cools down, our bodies crave hot beverages that provide energy and comfort. Hence, I’ve created a version of Peruvian hot chocolate…
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Recipe: Menestrón (Peruvian minestrone)
Menestrón is the Peruvian version of minestrone soup, brought to the country by Italian migrants. What makes this soup Peruvian is the addition of native ingredients, such as potato and cassava. This is a pesto-based version of minestrone (as opposed to tomato-based). In addition to the traditional basil and Parmesan, this pesto features spinach and feta cheese . There are no rules as to which beans and legumes are included in menestrón. However, butter beans and broad beans are very common ingredients. As for the pasta, tradition calls for penne. I recommend using San Remo pulse pasta for a gluten-free, high protein, high fibre alternative.
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Recipe: My mum’s arroz chaufa (Peruvian fried rice)
Chaufa comes from chao fan, which apparently means “fried rice” in Chinese (not sure if in Mandarin, Cantonese or both). So yeah, arroz chaufa = “fried rice rice”. Arroz chaufa in Perú is very popular (as we have a large Cantonese community) and it comes in many varieties: chicken, pork, chicken + pork, chicken + pork + prawns (a.k.a. “special”) and I’m guessing nowadays also vegetarian/vegan. My mum’s version of arroz chaufa had chicken and egg omelette. Although I didn’t realise this at the time, this was one of my favourite weeknight meals. I would eat an entire serving out of the pot before it even left the kitchen. Mum…
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What is lucuma (and how to pronounce it)
Lucuma (written lúcuma in Spanish) is an Andean fruit that grows in Peru, Ecuador and Chile. It has been around since before the Incas and it’s still widely consumed in the region. Listen to the correct pronunciation in this link. Lucuma is generally the size of an orange or grapefruit, although there are also smaller ones. The fruit has a thin green skin that splits open when ripe. The flesh is yellow-orange, sweet, firm and starchy. It has a few round medium-sized brown seeds. Culinary uses In Peru, the fruit can be found fresh (mainly during summer months), frozen and powdered (also known as “harina de lúcuma). The availability of…
