This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Peruvian beef stir fry (Lomo Saltado) is quick and delicious to make at home. It’s made using thinly sliced steak and stir-fried with onions and tomatoes. Lomo Saltado can have french fries mixed into the stir fry. But you can also serve on the side. I can’t think of a better way to eat steak and potatoes together!
Lomo Saltado!
Not only is it fun to say, it’s also delicious on your tongue. Loaded with tons of savory, perfectly seared steak slices, crisp onion petals, and savory, ripe tomatoes. I love serving it on a bed of white rice (or cauliflower rice if I’m watching the calories) alongside hot and crispy French fries.
We first enjoyed this delicious Peruvian steak stir fry at a local restaurant that makes it so well. And of course, three bites in I was obsessively dissecting all the flavors that were just dancing on my tongue.
@littlespicejar Peruvian Lomo Saltado Full recipe linked in my profile and on littlespicejar.com #lomosaltado #lomosaltadoaloperuano #beefrecipes #stirfry #quickrecipes #easyrecipes #summerrecipes #onepanmeal #onepotmeal ♬ Chill Vibes – Tollan Kim
I won’t tell you how to eat your Lomo Saltado, but I’ll let you know this much; this steak stir fry is served with FRENCH FRIES. And to be honest, I can’t think of a better way to eat steak and potatoes. One thing about Lomo Saltado, people get very heated about the way the fries are served. Some are adamant that you need to toss French fries into the stir fry, while others keep them on the side. For this reason, I’d like to point out that I don’t toss my French fries in the stir fry. However, it is done both ways! You can toss them in if you like, but I’m big on texture and want to enjoy that hot crispy, crunch!
My boyfriend and I made this for dinner and it was AMAZING. It had so much flavor and was so delicious we immediately sent the recipe to our friends lol. We paired it with red wine and absolutely loved it.
What is Lomo Saltado?
Is a popular Peruvian stir fry dish made with beef that literally translated means “jumped loin.” It is a dish that is part of Chifa cuisine which is the meshing of Chinese and Peruvian ingredients and cooking techniques. Peruvian beef stir fry is typically a combination of steak, onions, tomatoes, and French fries. It’s served alongside cooked rice.
Ingredients to make Lomo Saltado
- Beef: There are several different cuts of meat you can use for this recipe. Be sure to cut against the grain and make equal pieces so that they cook up in roughly the same amount of time.
- Low sodium soy sauce: I recommend using low sodium soy sauce because the recipe would be quite salty with regular soy sauce.
- Garlic: Mince the garlic finely! Half of it will be used to marinate the beef, the other half will go into the stir fry.
- Oyster sauce: adds umami to the stir fry along with the soy sauce.
- Red wine vinegar: Vinegar helps cuts through some of the salt and the fattiness of the beef. It’s just the right amount so it’s not going
- Aji amarillo: is a Peruvian yellow pepper that is grown all over Peru. I found it a bit difficult to find fresh peppers where I live, so I used the next best thing – aji Amarillo paste. Fresh is best, but if you can’t find it, you can purchase it here. A substitute for the aji Amarillo is a combination of 1/4 of finely grated serrano pepper and 1/4 of a finely grated yellow bell pepper combined. You can also just throw both of these ingredients into a food processor if that’s easier.
- Red onion: You’ll want to cut the red onion into thicker wedges so that they hold up to the high heat cooking.
- Tomatoes: The tomatoes are also cut into wedges. I use Roma tomatoes and cut them into 6-7 pieces depending on the size of the tomato.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is added in right at the end before serving, but you could also use scallions, I’ve seen it served with both.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch is used to just add a hint of thickness to the sauce.
Recommended Cuts of Beef
There are several different cuts of meat you can use for this recipe. My favorite Peruvian restaurant here uses filet mignon, but you could also use sirloin, skirt steak, or flank steak. Cut the meat in thin slices or small pieces that are the same size so that they cook up evenly.
How to make Lomo Saltado at home
- Marinate the beef: Add a splash of soy sauce and roughly half of the minced garlic to the thinly sliced beef. Allow for it to marinate for 5-7 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. This is where you’d add in a pinch of baking soda if you used a particularly tough cut of meat.
- Make the sauce: The sauce is as simple as combining a few ingredients in a mason jar and giving it a quick shake to help everything mix. All you need is soy sauce, red wine vinegar, oyster sauce, aji Amarillo paste, and cornstarch.
- Stir fry and put it all together: Add oil to a cast iron skillet or a cast iron braiser. Let it heat all the way through. When the oil is shimmering, add the beef slices in batches and sear them on both sides. Then, remove the beef to a plate and continue browning the remaining beef. Add another splash of oil to the pan then salt the onions until they soften a bit before adding the garlic and the tomatoes. Continue to saute for 1 minute. Then add the beef back into the pan. Drizzle everything with the prepared sauce and toss to combine. You’d also add the French fries here if you wanted them to soften in the sauce. Top with sliced scallions or chopped cilantro if desired. Serve warm over rice!
Best Tips for Success
- Slicing the beef: I suggest making sure to cut the meat across the grain. This shortens the length of the muscle fibers and helps make the meat more tender.
- For particularly tough cuts: marinate the meat for 1 hour in ¼ teaspoon of baking soda along with the soy sauce and garlic. The alkalinity of baking soda helps raise the pH of the meat. This causes the proteins to move further apart, and that makes it more tender and easier to chew!
- To help slice the steak easily: place the fresh steak in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. That way, it’ll stiffen a bit and the blade can slice through the meat much easier.
- Mis en place: The steak takes minutes to cook. So you want to be sure everything is prepped beforehand. That way, it’s smooth sailing during the cooking phase.
Other Peruvian Recipes to try:
Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, or filet mignon, sirloin, skirt steak, cut into thin slices
- 5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Aji Amarillo paste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 red onion sliced into ½ inch wedges
- 3 roma tomatoes seeds removed and sliced into ½ inch wedges
- Sliced scallions/chopped cilantro for serving
- Oil for cooking
- Cooked French fries + rice for serving
Instructions
- MARINATE:Add 1 tablespoons soy sauce and roughly half the garlic, to the thinly sliced beef and allow for the beef to marinate for 5-7 minutes. If you’re using a particularly tough cut of meat, consider adding ¼ teaspoon of baking soda along with the soy sauce and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- SAUCE:In a small bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, red wine vinegar, Aji Amarillo paste, and cornstarch. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- PREHEAT:Add about a tablespoon of cooking oil to a hot cast iron pan or wok over high heat until it starts to shimmer.
- SEAR: Brown the beef in batches for roughly 1-2 minutes flipping as needed to cook evenly. You want the beef to sear, not steam! Remove to a plate.
- SAUTE: Add another tablespoon of oil if the pan is dry. Add the onions and sauce, let them cook for 1 minute before adding the remaining garlic and tomatoes. Continue to sauté for 1 minute.
- TOSS: Add the beef back into the pan. You’d also add the French fries here if you wanted to cook them with the sauce. Drizzle with the prepared sauce and toss to combine. Top with sliced scallions or chopped cilantro (or both.)
- SERVE: warm with rice and with French fries (if you want them crispy!)
Notes
- Make sure you cut the steak against the grain. For detailed instructions on how to do so, see post.
- If you can’t find Aji Amarillo, you can blend ¼ of a serrano with ¼ of yellow bell pepper. It’s not exactly the same thing but something similar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
My spouse is from Peru and I’ve had lomo saltado several times in Peru. It has also been years that I’ve been looking for the right recipe to match the Peruvian flavours and this recipe is it!
Made this for our dinner and it came out delicious. Our daughter in law had made it so I asked her for the recipe. Had it over white rice.
This recipe is seriously delicious and so easy! My husband was raving about it and my kids ate it up. it’s 100% a keeper!
I just have a question: I wanna make this for 4-5 people. How many servings is the recipe you made? Because I don’t know if I should double or quadruple this recipe
Hi! We want to try your recipe but we don’t eat spicy food. Is amarillo paste spicy? Can you recommend something to use instead of that paste that is not spicy for the recipe? Thank you!
There are options of aji Amarillo (non-spicy) or “sin picante” so you can still get the same flavor without the spice
This was incredible!! I veganized it by using Beyond Meat steak and hoisen sauce for oyster sauce. For the aji I blended jalapeno and yellow bell pepper. I doubled the sauce recipe and it turned out perfect. My family was so impressed, this will become a regular meal that I make from now on. Thank you!
Haven’t made Lomo in years…this recipe is new & improved. I like to make a fresh sauce with ripe anaheims or poblanos ripe as one can find with orange tint. Puréed with cilantro, feta cheese, sour cream, garlic & salt. Makes a huge difference to my family.
This came out real well, but I have no idea how you are suppose to marinate a pound of beef with one tablespoon of soy sauce and some garlic.
This is always a hit! For its fanciness, it’s surprisingly easy to make.
This is a great recipe. The simplicity is the key. If you follow it exactly it will turn out great, but it also allows you to make slight variations each time to add variety.
Start with a decent cut of meat – top sirloin, skirt, bavette, tenderloin – and then use your imagination. I usually stick to the onions and tomatoes because the combo is so simple and delicious. But adding bell peppers, mushrooms or squash is great as well.
My most recent adaptation was to substitute aji panca for the aji amarillo. Aji panca is milder, sweeter and a little fruitier than the aji amarillo so I added a whole jalapeno as well to kick up the spice level. It turned out great!
Thanks for the great recipe! My family loves it every time!
I forgot to mention, a great addition is to top it with perfectly ripe avocado slices. The creamy richness of the avocado is a perfect compliment to the spicy tanginess of the stir fry.
This is seriously so delicious. I’ve made it several times. I do substitute red bell pepper for the tomato because my family doesn’t like tomatoes, but otherwise it’s the same. I serve it with yucca fries and peruvian green sauce on the side.
This is an amazing dish to cook for a family of 3 my husband liked the meal he said 10 outta 10 my kid also enjoyed this meal I’m looking forward to making this again for thanksgiving for the new years I found my new lover #inlove I served my husband some red wine with you know to to get a lil spiceyyyyyy # My Husband in love I gave my child a lil juice box so he could clear his throat because he have issues swallowing food. I will be doing another review on this meal because it was that good
I’m always trying to find a better Lomo and this was it!!! I’ve made many different variations of Lomo and this one was the BEST!!! Super tasty sauce. My family likes the fries a little bit soggy so I toss it in before it’s all done and the fries soak up the sauce.
This recipe came out delicious! I love the kick of the Aji Amarillo sauce. It was not too spicy but added so much flavor to the dish. I used skirt steak and the meat was so tender. This is a keeper.
My boyfriend and I made this for dinner and it was AMAZING. It had so much flavor and was so delicious we immediately sent the recipe to our friends lol. We paired it with red wine and absolutely loved it.
This is a really good recipe. I’ve made several times and it always turns out great. So easy to make too.
I cooked this Recipe with the addition of 2 Bell Peppers, 2 Serrano Peppers and 1 Habanero Pepper as I like it with a bit more Heat and Krunch! It was just as I remembered it from my favorite Peruvian Restaurant The Inka Grill in Claremont California that has since closed! Delicious!!!
This is an amazing recipe. It reminded me of the best Lomo Saltado I’ve had in Peru. Follow the recipe, and it’ll turn out great. I used filet mignon and the meat was crazy tender. This recipe is going in my hall of fame.
Hi Dio! I am so happy to hear that it was such a hit for you! Great tip on using filet mignon – that’s what my favorite local restaurant uses too! 🙂
This is amazing. I used the yellow pepper and Serrano pepper instead of the other spice as it says because I didn’t have that spice. The sauce is delicious!! I also used chicken instead of been as I do t eat red meat. The o ions and tomatoes are excellent. I omitted the rice too. Too much starch for me. I’d definitely make this again! The French fries were perfect in it. I put them on top because I wanted them crunchy!!
Hi Cammy! I’m so happy to hear you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Appreciate you circling back to leave a review 🙂
I am sorry, but what is Aji Amarillo paste?
Hi there! It’s a paste made from yellow peppers. You can find more information in the post under the “what ingrdients do you need to make Lomo Saltado” section. I also included a link on where you can purchase it online 🙂