How to make lomo saltado at home

Every week we eat at least once lomo saltado. It is the inevitable dish. And if we do not prepare it at home personally I usually taste it any day in one of the countless Peruvian restaurants that exist at our disposal.

Unlike the ceviche that is only sold in restaurants with a marine menu, which is usually prepared only by experts cevicheros, and with slight variations is present in all the coastal countries of Latin America, the salted loin is a distinctly Peruvian dish that is found present in the generality of centers of sale of our country and that is prepared easily in all the Peruvian homes.

It is said that this traditional dish originated in the late nineteenth century under the influence of Cantonese (Chinese) chefs who settled in the Lima street Capón creating the now famous Chinatown. Therefore it is a dish of the Chifa or Peruvian-Chinese cuisine (like the rice chaufa). That explains why the dish has as one of its essential ingredients the sillao (or soy sauce), and that the technique of cooking in a pan is used, characteristics provided by the ancient Chinese cuisine. And it also explains why, being a Creole dish of Peruvian gastronomy, we usually find it in the letters of all national chifas.

Speaking of the name, initially this dish was known as "Lomito a la Chorrillana" (for the onion strips that it has), beef tenderloin or sautéed tenderloin, but finally we all ended up knowing it as "salty tenderloin". And that is how it has become popular.

Now let's get down to work, or rather to the pan, and let's prepare together this delicious Peruvian typical dish whose only name takes us to a paradise of gastronomic sensations: lomo saltado. And the recipe is below.

INGREDIENTS

-1 Kg. Of beef (bisteck, stew, or loin)
-4 medium red onions
-4 tomatoes
-1 yellow pepper
-2 garlic cloves, ground or finely chopped
-2 teaspoons of sillao (soy sauce)
-A spray of red vinegar
-Salt to taste
-pepper to taste
-Garnish: french fries, white rice, chopped parsley

PREPARATION

1. Cut the beef into cubes of regular size (2 cm by 2 cm is fine) and season it with a little salt and pepper (not much because if we exceed the season it will not be very pleasant to say, but instead if we lack some salt or some pepper can be rectified at the end).

2. Cut the onions into thick strips along. A trick is to divide the onion into eight parts: make a vertical cut to divide the onion into two halves (|), then make a horizontal cut to form a cross and divide the onion into quarters (-), then make a diagonal cut (/) and finally a diagonal cut in the opposite direction (). In this way we will have eight pieces of onion in thick and long layers.

3. We do the same with the tomatoes, and we remove the seeds.

4. We also cut the yellow pepper in long strips. It is an optional ingredient, as some chefs do not put it, but its presence contributes to the flavor and gives color to the dish.

5. In a pan with a little hot oil, lightly brown the two cloves of ground or chopped garlic.

6. We add the pieces of beef and fry them stirring constantly until they are golden (if we have a lot of meat and the pan is small we can do it in batches).

7. Add the onion strips, mix and let them cook for two or three minutes.

8. At this point add the yellow pepper, mix and let cook another two minutes.

9. Add a splash of red vinegar and stir.

10. We add two teaspoons of sillao and stir.

11. Add the tomato strips, stir and let everything cook for a few minutes. The tomato should not be undone.

12. Taste the seasoning and rectify the salt and pepper if necessary.