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Recipe: Salpicón de pollo (Peruvian chicken salad)
Salpicón de pollo is a salad with chicken, cooked vegetables and mayonnaise commonly found in many Latin American countries. In Perú it’s often served as an entrée but it makes a wonderful main meal particularly during warmer months. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, especially if you dress it just before eating. On that note, I recommend you make your own mayonnaise (it’s super easy!) because most commercial ones are made with less-than-ideal ingredients.
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Recipe: Easy pulpo al olivo
Pulpo al olivo is a typical Peruvian dish made with octopus and olive mayonnaise. It is often eaten as an entrée or appetizer. This recipe is called easy pulpo al olivo because I’ve included a couple of shortcuts. The invention of this dish is attributed to Peruvian-Japanese chef Rosita Yimura. My lazy version involves no cooking and minimal preparation by using the following ingredients: pre-cooked octopus (see photo below) pre-made mayonnaise (I recommend homemade, this olive oil mayonnaise or this avocado oil mayonnaise). I also used Peruvian botija olives but you may use kalamatas.
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Recipe: Causa de atún (tuna causa)
Causa de atún is one of my favourite variations of causa limeña, a traditional Peruvian entrée. Causa is a cold potato-based dish, made with mashed potatoes that are flavoured with lime and chilli, then used to sandwich the filling. Traditional filling is made with shredded chicken and mayonnaise, but versions with fish and seafood are also popular and tastier, in my opinion. Legend says the name originated when Perú was under Spanish control. Street vendors would sell an early version of the dish “por la causa” (for the cause), the cause being independence from Spain. The recipe calls for ají amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli) paste, which can be found online…
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Recipe: Peruvian ceviche
Classic Peruvian ceviche (cebiche or seviche are the proper spellings that nobody uses anymore) consists of 4 ingredients: fish, lime juice, onions and chillies. It is normally served with sweet potato and choclo (Peruvian white corn). Less common accompaniments include potato, yuca (cassava), yuyo (seaweed), rice (!). Cancha is normally served as a snack, although some restaurants serve some as part of the dish. Buen provecho!
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Recipe: Huevo a la rusa (Russian-style egg salad)
Despite its name, huevo a la rusa is a Peruvian classic. So much so that I’ve been told it’s called “huevos a la peruana” (Peruvian-style eggs) in Chile. It is basically a spin-off of the traditional Russian Olivier salad, with the addition of eggs and golf sauce. It’s always served as an entrée, usually in “menú” (affordable set menu) eateries.
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Recipe: Vegan causa
Yes, vegan. Before you think I’m crazy for bastardising one of my national dishes, let me explain. I made this version for an assignment for which I had to modify a recipe for social (i.e. religious, ethical, etc.) reasons. I thought of causa because I know people make vegetarian versions all the time (not me, I love it with seafood) but I have never seen a vegan version out there. Not only I had to ditch the main protein, but also the eggs used as garnish and in the mayo. I combined a few vegan soy-free mayonnaise recipes I found online and the result was awesome! Also so much easier…
