Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry)

Lomo Saltado Recipe (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry with French Fries)

We’re cooking up an amazing Beef Stir Fry dish in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. We love a good stir fry here, with lots of sliced beef, vegetables, spicy peppers and so much more.

They’re easy to make and they always satisfy that spicy food craving we all have. This particular stir fry comes to us from Peru. It’s called Lomo Saltado and I think you’re going to love it.

What is Lomo Saltado?

Lomo saltado is a Peruvian dish of strips of beef that are marinated in a soy sauce base, then quickly stir fried with peppers, red onion, tomatoes and crispy french fries. Yes, I did say french fries.

It’s a classic dish, evolved from the many different cultural influences that make up diverse Peru, sort of a Chinese-Peruvian stir fry made with more local ingredients.

In fact, Peru is known for it’s “Chifa cuisine”, which is a unique fusion of food culture brought from Chinese immigrants that combined Chinese cooking with Peruvian ingredients.

The Chinese influence is clear from the soy sauce and cooking technique, and the adoption of local Peruvian foods, like Peruvian potatoes and aji amarillo peppers with their wonderful heat, though you can use other peppers to your preference.

I make mine from scratch with sliced potatoes, though you can make an even quicker version with frozen or pre-cut French fries. It’s really up to you.

Let’s talk about how to make Lomo Saltado, shall we?

Lomo Saltado Ingredients

• FOR THE STEAK & MARINADE
• Steak. Use flank steak, skirt steak, ribeye, or your favorite thinly sliced cuts of beef. You can make this with other cuts of meat, but beef is more traditional.
• Liquids. Olive oil, soy sauce, white vinegar.
• Seasonings. Fresh garlic, cumin, salt and black pepper.
• FOR THE FRENCH FRIES
• Potato. Sliced into French fry slices.
• Olive Oil. For cooking. See the recipe notes.
• Salt and Pepper.
• FOR the LOMO SALTADO
• Olive Oil. For stir frying.
• Red Onion. Cut into bite sized pieces.
• Tomato.
• Peppers. I’m using ají amarillo peppers, though you can use other peppers. Aji Amarillo is traditional. See the recipe notes.
• Cilantro.
• FOR SERVING: Cooked white rice, hot sauce, fresh chopped cilantro, chili flakes

How to Make Lomo Saltado – the Recipe Method

MARINATE THE STEAK

Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slice the steak into bite sized pieces and set into the bowl. Mix and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Set aside.

COOK THE POTATOES/FRENCH FRIES

Soak the Potatoes First. Cover the potatoes in a large bowl with cold water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes (this will help with crispiness).

Cook the French Fries. Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok to medium-high heat.

Season the sliced potato with salt and pepper, then cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through to your liking. SEE RECIPE NOTES. 

MAKE THE LOMO SALTADO

Onion and Peppers. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes to soften.

Cook the Steak. Drain the marinade from the steak but keep the marinade. Stir fry the beef with the onion and peppers 3-4 minutes, until the steak forms a nice crust.

Tomatoes and Sauce. Add the tomato and reserved stir fry marinade and stir fry for 1 minute.

Warm it all Through. Add the cooked potatoes/French fries along with the cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. Stir fry to heat through.

FOR SERVING

Serve the lomo saltado (stir fried steak and potatoes) over cooked rice. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes, and hot sauce to taste. Try it with this Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Sauce)!

Boom! Done! Your lomo saltado is ready to serve! This is Peruvian beef stir fry at its finest, with lots of french fries and veggies in a flavorful stir fry sauce. Enjoy, my friends!

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