If you live in Los Angeles, you've probably heard of a Peruvian restaurant called Mario's and their famous dish, Lomo Saltado. I recently went and still loved it as much as when I first had it almost 10 years ago. It's a simple stir fry dish with beef, tomatoes, red onions, and yes, french fries. To top it all off, they have a spicy green sauce, also known as Aji sauce to round out the dish. After watching how this dish is prepared, I had to make it myself. I was pleasantly surprised to see how delicious and easy lomo saltado is to make!
Lomo Saltado
Ingredients
Aji sauce
- ¼ head of romaine lettuce torn into smaller pieces
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 5 green onions cut into large pieces
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves discard the stems
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 jalapeno seeds included
- 2 garlic cloves
Lomo saltado
- oil for frying
- 1 lb frozen French fries
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lb beef tri tip sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 red onion sliced
- 3 large tomatoes sliced into wedges
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 dash soy sauce to taste
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the aji sauce. Blend romaine - garlic until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat frying oil to 350 degrees.
- Fry french fries until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the tri-tip and season with salt and pepper. Saute until browned on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the onions in the same pan and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan with the french fries, vinegar, and soy sauce. Toss to combine and continue to cook until beef is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Lomo saltado comes together very quickly so make sure you have all the vegetables prepped before cooking. Start by trimming the tri-tip, removing any excess fat.
When you are ready to saute, saute the meat until they are cooked. Remove the meat but leave the juices and add the onions. This way the onions will soak up the flavor. Add the tomatoes and lightly saute, for about 1 minute. Add back the meat and the french fries. I wanted the french fries to soak up some of the juices so I mixed it in while still cooking; however, if you like your french fries more crispy feel free to toss them in the last minute right before serving. Enjoy with a side of rice and the aji sauce!
People loved this dish! Many were unfamiliar with lomo saltado and were surprised to find french fries in the dish, but they all came around and many came back for seconds. One person described it as "fantabulous!" When I asked a fellow Peruvian cook, she said the flavor was spot on. The only difference was the cut of the meat, which is supposed to be small cubes rather than sliced. Just describing this dish makes me want to grab seconds myself.
For more beef inspiration check out this loco moco with caramelized onions and mushrooms!
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