Lomo Saltado
why are we not talking about lion's mane
Lion’s mane is absolute magic, both as a meat substitute and for its major health benefits, and I’m a little sad I didn’t start cooking with it it sooner. I’ve been picking it up at my farmers’ market (I have a mushroom guy) but in a pinch they also happen to sell it at my grocery store. When you compress it enough in the pan and fry in a generous amount of oil, it gets sooooo juicy and takes on the meatiest texture. Probably the closest to resembling meat out of any other meat sub. And its all just a humble mushroom. Crazy. Magic.
So of course I had to use it in my plant-based take on Lomo Saltado, which in my opinion is the perfect entry level recipe to Peruvian cuisine. I did say I was going to start sharing more Peruvian recipes so this is me keeping my promise.
Lomo Saltado is a stir fry made up of steak strips, onions, tomatoes, and French fries served with rice. French fries might sound like a strange addition to a stir fry but they really work here to balance out the super savoury steak, onions and tomatoes, plus I do love double carbs. I serve them on the side so that they stay crispy, but they can also be stirred right into the stir fry. I used aji amarillo, a Peruvian yellow pepper, for some heat, since I happened to have some on hand and it’s a traditional addition. I’m linking it here, but you can also sub for sriracha or another neutral flavoured hot sauce.
Lomo Saltado
2-3 servings
2-3 tbsps olive oil
200g Lion’s Mane, cut into 3 ‘steaks’
pinch of salt
2 tbsps soy sauce, divided
1 beefsteak tomato, cut into wedges
1 medium-size red onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp aji amarillo paste
1 tsp white vinegar
handful of parsley, roughly chopped
2-3 servings of french fries, I used frozen
2-3 servings of steamed jasmine rice
Make the Lion’s Mane ‘steak’: heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add lion’s mane to the hot oil and lightly season each steak with a pinch of salt. Compress each steak with a spatula and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side, continuing to press down with the spatula. At the end of cooking, pour 1 tbsp of soy sauce over the ‘steaks’ and fry for an additional minute or so. Remove onto a plate and set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice into strips.
Fry onions and tomatoes: In the same pan, add another tbsp of olive oil if needed and turn the heat to medium-high. Add red onion and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until it develops some nice colour. Then add in the tomatoes and fry for another 3-5 minutes until they take on some nice colour and charing.
Bring it all together: Add in the steak strips along with the aji amarillo paste, another 1 tbsp of soy sauce, and vinegar. Toss everything together to combine and fry the pepper paste. Turn off the heat and stir in fresh parsley.
Serve: serve with rice and french fries, plus a sprinkle of some more fresh parsley. Enjoy!
For some reason I though this would be such a complicated recipe, but it’s truly so quick and there is no shame in using frozen fries to make your life easier. It’s quickly become a staple in my house. I hope you give this a try and that it acts as a good intro to Peruvian food if you haven’t already tried it. I’ll see you next time.
-Raquel xox
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