Lomo Saltado de Champiñones

Lomo Saltado is the icon of Peruvian chifa cuisine — a stir-fry born from Chinese immigrant cooks who adapted soy sauce and wok technique to Andean ingredients. This vegetarian version replaces the beef with thick-sliced portobello and shiitake mushrooms, which absorb the aji amarillo and soy-vinegar sauce beautifully, delivering all the umami smokiness of the original in a fraction of the time.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) mixed mushrooms (portobello and shiitake), thickly sliced
• 3 medium yellow potatoes, cut into thick chips
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp aji amarillo paste (or 1 fresh aji amarillo, minced)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• Cooked white rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Deep-fry or air-fry the potato chips at 180°C (350°F) for 18–20 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside.
2. Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over the highest possible heat until smoking. Add the oil.
3. Add the mushrooms in a single layer. Do not stir for 2 minutes — let them sear and char. Then toss vigorously for 2 more minutes until golden and beginning to release their juices.
4. Add the garlic and aji amarillo paste; stir-fry 30 seconds.
5. Add the onion wedges and tomato wedges. Toss over high heat for 2 minutes — the vegetables should remain slightly crisp.
6. Pour in the soy sauce and red wine vinegar. Add the cumin and black pepper. Toss everything together for 1 minute.
7. Add the fried potato chips and toss once more to coat in the sauce.
8. Scatter over the fresh coriander and serve immediately over white rice.

Cook's Notes: High heat and fast cooking are non-negotiable for lomo saltado — the wok breath (called wok hei) gives the dish its characteristic smoky edge. If your pan cannot get very hot, cook in two batches.