Hi everyone and welcome back to my bloooog!
Today I’m going to talk about one of the Latin American cuisines you both hear a lot and very little about: Peru.
It’s well-known for its ceviche, but I feel like in recent years, Peruvian food has taken a bit of a backseat compared to cuisines like Mexico’s (though many “Mexican” foods in Europe are about as Mexican as Panda Express is traditional Chinese) and big, flashy meat dishes like Brazilian picanha and Argentinian steaks.
Nevertheless, Peruvian cuisine is not one to overlook when you’re searching for amazing food in South America! As you’ll see in the final spread, Peru has a fantastic showing of delicious dishes; and it’s really only the tip of the iceberg.
I did have to tiptoe around some very popular dishes since Peru seemingly loves itself some huancaína — basically a cheese sauce you pour over potatoes, eggs, or whatever you feel like. Now, one thing you need to know is that Mrs. W2P, my incredibly esteemed taste tester, food photographer, Instagram manager, and most of all, lovely wife, is not a fan of cheese (this is an understatement) unless it’s mozzarella melted on pizza. So I was admittedly trying to avoid dishes like papa a la huancaína that were recommended by people on the r/Peru subreddit. (I like to ask people on Reddit sometimes. Every time I’ve posted so far on countries I’ve been really stuck on, I’ve gotten great feedback.)
What I ended up with was a mix of both coastal, mountaun and immigrant traditions, something that represents both the Andes and the Peruvian coast: ceviche — fresh, sour, punchy, served with yam and corn, usually eaten for lunch as main #1 — and lomo saltado — beefy, Chinese-inspired, with potatoes and rice as main #2. And it was beautiful. The flavors were incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for a better meal.
Here’s a pic:
Overall I think I did a pretty good job – presentation-wise I got some mixed reviews on whether it would be plated the same in Peru but you can’t win ’em all! It’s served with Inca Kola (a peruvian softdrink) and Mazamorra Morada – sadly I couldn’t find any blue corn so a package mix had to make do.
This, as I found out afterwards, doesn’t taste much like traditional mazamorra morada, but rather like gummy bear soup. So if you CAN find blue corn – try that – or one of the other delicious-looking Peruvian desserts.
Here’s what I made (2025/09/21)
Click on the arrows to show the full recipe!
Lomo Saltado: Peruvian Beef Stir Fry
A bold, saucy stir-fry that blends Peruvian and Chinese flavors: tender beef, super crispy fries, and smoky wok magic all on one plate.
Serves 4. Thanks to Buenazo for the recipe inspiration! buenazo.pe
Ingredients
- 750 g beef tenderloin (lomo fino), cut into thick strips
- 500 g white potatoes, cut into fries
- 3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 3 red onions, cut into wedges
- 1 yellow chili (ají amarillo), seeded and sliced thin (sub medium hot pepper if unavailable)
- ½–1 cup soy sauce (ideally sillao)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Oil for frying
- 4 portions cooked white rice
Directions
- Season the beef with salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Fry the potato fries in hot oil until golden and crisp; drain.
- Heat a large skillet or wok until very hot. Add a little oil — when it smokes, add the beef and sear without moving it. Once browned, toss and stir-fry; optionally add a splash of pisco to flambé (carefully!). I didn’t.
- Add onions, ají amarillo, and vinegar; stir-fry briefly.
- Add tomatoes and soy sauce, stir just until tomatoes soften slightly.
- Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.
- Serve immediately with the fries and a scoop of white rice.
Tip: I double fried my potatoes. Fry them at around 130C for 3-4 minutes first, take them out and let them cool off, then fry them again at 180C until golden brown. Take them out and salt immediately. Probably the crispiest fry you’ll ever make!
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Traditional Peruvian Ceviche
A fresh, tangy seafood classic that captures the soul of Peru.
Serves 4. Thanks to Cravings Journal for the recipe inspiration! (cravingsjournal.com)
Ingredients
For the ceviche
- 1 kg firm white or pink fish fillet (e.g. corvina, sole, mero, cojinova, or similar) – do make sure it is sushi grade. I don’t want anyone getting food poisoning, because the fish while “cooked” in acid does remain raw. I substituted tuna, since I couldn’t find sushi grade white fish – it was very delicious.
- Finely chopped ají amarillo – or habanero – to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
For the leche de tigre
- 40 g trimmings of the same fish
- 30 g onion (red for pink tint, white for pale color)
- 2 garlic cloves
- Ají, to taste
- 30 g celery
- 10 g ginger
- Salt and a pinch of sugar, to taste
- 500 ml lime juice – ideally from green Peruvian limes. If you don’t have that, limes, lemons, work fine. Try not to oversqueeze so it’s not bitter.
- 4 cilantro stems (no leaves)
To serve
- 2 sweet potatoes (camotes), cooked and sliced
- Optional: boiled corn, lettuce leaves, or cancha (toasted corn)
Directions
- Prepare the leche de tigre: blend fish trimmings, onion, garlic, celery, ginger, chili, lime juice, salt, sugar, and cilantro stems until smooth. Strain and chill. I used a little food processor.
- Cut the fish into 1–2 cm cubes and place in a chilled bowl.
- Season with salt, pepper, and finely chopped chili.
- Add sliced onion and enough leche de tigre to cover. Mix gently and let rest 5–10 minutes until the fish turns opaque.
- Serve immediately with cooked sweet potato, corn, or other traditional sides.
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To sum it up:
I was really positively surprised by Peruvian food! I hadn’t had a lot of experience with it so I didn’t know what to expect. Really really recommend making it!
For me – an easy 8.5/10. Mrs. W2P gave it a shocking 6.5 but I guess tastes do differ sometimes.
For our next stop we’re coming back to Europe! Can’t wait for you guys to see!
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