Peruvian Recipes

I’ll be adding Peruvian recipes and photos to this page as I go. Put any questions you have or any critiques of the food in the comments section. Thanks!

When cooking Peruvian food, my husband and I use ají pastes preserved in jars. Try your local latino or asian food market. Buy them online at La Bodega Peruana (the Peruvian Market). The weight varies from 7.5 to 8 ounces and the jars look something like this:

photo credit

Ají de gallina
2 cooked shredded chicken breasts (save the water you boil it in)
ají amarillo to taste (I use 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp of minced garlic
1 Tbsp of ají panca
4 slices of white bread
1 can of evaporated milk
1 finely chopped red onion (to taste, you don’t have to use the whole onion)
boiled yellow potatoes
hard boiled eggs
black olives
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a little vegetable oil in a stainless steel pot and cook the onion on very low heat. As the onion becomes translucent, add garlic, salt, pepper, ají amarillo and ají panca. Break apart the bread, mash it into a dish of evaporated milk and add to the pot. At this point, I’ve discovered that I get a creamier result if I put everything into the blender and mix for a minute or two. That way the onion gets completely integrated. It turns out great if you take the time to do this extra step. Pour it from the blender back into the pot. Add shredded chicken breast and a little of the broth (water used to boil chicken). Stir and let it reduce on low heat until it is creamy. If it is too thick you can add more broth. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Taste it to check for saltiness. Serve ají de gallina over yellow potatoes with white rice. Garnish with slices of hard boiled egg and black olives.

Ají de gallina

Papa a la huancaína
boiled yellow potatoes
hard boiled eggs
ají amarillo to taste
half cup of evaporated milk
4-6 soda crackers
half cup of vegetable oil
150 grams of fresh hispanic-style salted cheese
salt to taste
black olives
lettuce leaves

Peel and slice potatoes and arrange over lettuce leaves. Use blender to combine ají amarillo, evaporated milk, crackers, oil and cheese. Blend until creamy and adjust for consistency by adding more milk or more crackers. Taste for saltiness. Spoon this cream over potatoes and lettuce and garnish with sliced hard boiled eggs and black olives.

papa a la huancaína

Lomo saltado
1 lb beef cut in bite-sized strips
2 tomatoes cut in crescent-shaped pieces
1 red onion cut in crescent-shaped pieces
ají amarillo to taste (about 1 tsp)
red vinegar to taste
chopped fresh cilantro to taste
minced garlic to taste
vegetable or olive oil
french fries
salt and pepper to taste

Season the beef with salt, pepper and ají amarillo (you can vary the taste with soy sauce, ají panca, Worcestershire sauce, and/or ground cumin). Heat oil in stainless steel pot and pan-fry the beef (Put in a little at a time so that the meat doesn’t boil.) Stir in the garlic. Add the onion, tomato, and a little salt, stirring constantly. Add a little red vinegar. Cook 2-3 more minutes. Add the chopped cilantro. Add cooked french fries (it’s okay if they end up soggy) and stir. Serve immediately with white rice.

Lomo Saltado

Frozen french fries work well in this recipe. Cook them in the toaster oven on the broiler pan. Another way to make french fries is to peel and cut a large yellow potato and fry it in oil. We’ve started making them this way rather than buying them frozen. Just heat about an inch of oil in a stainless steel frying pan. Being careful not to splash, gently slide the cut potato into the oil. When they are brown, take them out with a metal slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Shake a little salt on them while they are still very hot.

Sopa Criolla
1/2 lb beef cut in bite-sized chunks
1 onion (red or white) finely chopped
1 peeled and diced tomato (or you can use the equivalent canned)
1 Tbsp ají panca
1/4 package angelhair or spaghetti pasta
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
rocoto paste (or other hot sauce) to taste
1 Tbsp minced garlic
8 cups water (heat in the meantime)
salt and pepper to taste

Season beef with salt, pepper and garlic. Heat oil in large stainless steel soup pot and pan fry the beef. Add the ají panca, chopped onion, diced tomato, rocoto paste and oregano. Cook until the onion is transparent. Add hot water, bring to a boil and add angelhair pasta. Cook about 3 minutes (if you use spaghetti, it will take longer). Taste for saltiness and add in eggs (beaten beforehand) and evaporated milk. Can be served with toast.

Sopa Criolla

Ensalada de palta
2 avocados
thinly sliced red onion (to taste)
2 limes
salt and pepper
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped fresh tomatoes
olive oil
rocoto paste

Cut part of a red onion into very thin slices. Rinse the onion in cool water to take away the pungent odor. Cut both limes in half and squeeze the juice into a salad bowl. Soak the onion in the lime juice for at least an hour (but it is even better if you soak it overnight). The red onion slices should end up limp and pink, and their pungency should be nearly eliminated by the soaking. Cut avocados in half lengthwise. Lodge your knife into the seed and twist to extract it. To peel the avocado, slice each half in three pieces and peel each section, keeping the crescent shape intact. Depending on how you want to present your salad you can cut the avocado and onion into smaller pieces. Gently mix the avocado into the salad bowl with the lime juice and onion. Season with salt and pepper. You can also add a little olive oil, fresh chopped cilantro and fresh chopped tomatoes.

Ensalada de palta

Ensalada de cebolla

Ensalada Rusa

cooked, fresh beets cut into cubes (or you can use canned beets out of season)
carrots cut into cubes
peas (I use frozen)
mayonnaise
salt and pepper if you wish

Bring a very small pot of salted water to boil and add fresh carrots, cut into cubes. Add frozen peas and wait until the water returns to boil. Turn the heat down and cover with lid. When carrots and peas are soft, drain the water and add them to serving bowl with beets. Use about two dollops of mayonnaise (I especially recommend the McCormick brand found in the Hispanic foods section) and fold it all together gently. If you use salt when you boil the carrots and peas, you may not need to add any more. It is also nice to add peeled and cubed baby red potatoes or even hard boiled eggs, cut into cubes.

Seco de Res
2 lbs (bottom round) beef*
1 chopped red (or yellow) onion
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp ají panca
1 Tbsp ají amarillo
vegetable (or olive) oil
water
salt, pepper, cumin powder to taste

*Try to buy a cut of quality bottom round with a little marbling for tenderness. We had good luck with meat from Costco. This method of cooking is called braising.

Cut the beef into hunks and season with salt, pepper, cumin powder, and minced garlic (I use the paste). Heat a little vegetable (or olive) oil in a stainless steel soup pot and pan fry the meat. When the meat is seared, add the chopped onion, ají panca, and ají amarillo. Stir until onion becomes translucent.

Rinse the cilantro in water and cut off the bottom few inches from the stems. Chop by hand and transfer to blender. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup water to the blender and reduce the fresh chopped cilantro to liquid.

Add liquid cilantro to soup pot, stir, lower heat and cover with lid. The meat will become tender, cooking in the liquid for at least 20 minutes. Add frozen peas, stir and cook covered another 10 minutes. Serve with white rice.

Seco de Res

Causa Rellena

6-8 yellow potatoes, boiled
2 Tbsp ají amarillo paste
1 lemon, and salt to taste
1 large chicken breast, boiled
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
half red onion, finely chopped
mayonnaise (the McCormick brand made with lime juice works well)
lettuce leaves, lemon slices, olives, avocado, parsley for garnish

Peel the boiled potatoes while they are still very hot and mash them with a fork on a clean surface. Add the juice of half a lemon, salt, and the ají amarillo and continue mashing. It should form a light, dough-like consistency. If it is not sticking together well, add a little olive oil. In another bowl, mix the cubed onion and celery with salt and juice from half a lemon. Shred the chicken, add it to the bowl and mix with some mayonnaise. In a baking dish, or other similar serving dish, spread out half of the potato mixture. Then spread the chicken mixture on top, and cover with the other half of the potato mixture. Garnish it with Italian parsley leaves, slices of lemon and avocado, black olives and serve each portion on top of lettuce leaves.

Causa Rellena

Causa Rellena

Lentejas (lentils)

Lentils are a very cheap food that can be easily prepared. Rinse a 16 ounce bag of lentils in cold water, in the same way that you would wash rice. Use your fingers to stir them in a bowl of cold water and sort out any impurities. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add lentils. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer until the lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain off the water and separate into thirds (two-thirds can go into the refrigerator). Heat some olive oil in a stainless steel sauce pan and saute chopped red onion, chopped tomato, and about 4 chopped cloves of garlic. When onions become translucent, add pepper and salt and stir in about one-third of the boiled lentils. Serve with white rice. (One-third of the 16 ounce bag will serve 3 or 4 adults).

Pisco Sour

Pisco (a Peruvian liquor)
white sugar (can be made ahead of time into simple syrup)
egg whites
fresh squeezed juice from limes
ground cinnamon

Shake a couple of shots of Pisco with the sugar and lime juice. Add egg whites and shake until frothy. Serve in a wine glass or martini glass, topped with ground cinnamon. You have to play around with the proportions to get it right.

Pisco Sour

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