Lomo Saltado

Lomo saltado is strips of beef seared hard in a very hot wok with red onion in wedges, tomato, ají amarillo, soy sauce and vinegar, finished with coriander, and served with fried potatoes - often thrown into the pan at the end so they take the sauce - and a mound of white rice alongside. Both starches on one plate is the point and nobody in Peru finds it odd. The dish is the clearest everyday evidence of Chinese influence on Peruvian cooking: the wok, the high heat, the soy and the technique of saltado all came from the Cantonese kitchens of the nineteenth century, applied to beef, potatoes and Peruvian peppers. It is on almost every menú in the country, at every price level, and it is the standard by which many Peruvians judge an ordinary restaurant. Chicken and other saltado variants follow the same method.

What you actually see

• The wok technique - hard, fast searing that gives the dish its name.
• The two starches - fried potatoes and white rice on the same plate.
• The seasoning - soy, vinegar and ají amarillo with coriander.
• The chifa origin - Cantonese method applied to Peruvian ingredients.

When to go

Year-round, at any meal. It is on virtually every set menú at lunchtime, which is when it is cheapest and freshest.

Honest expectations

Quality depends entirely on the heat of the pan - a weak stove gives a stewed, greasy version. Portions are large and heavy. Beef quality varies at the cheap end. Not a dish for anyone avoiding soy or gluten.

Nearby

Every town in Peru serves it; chifas do their own versions alongside.