Lomo saltado — Peru

Lomo saltado is a stir-fried beef dish built around thin strips of tenderloin or another tender cut, cooked hot and fast so the meat stays seared outside and pink within. Its name literally means 'jumped loin,' a reference to the tossing motion used over high heat. It is reported across the Andean coast, most closely with Peru and also with neighbouring Ecuador, and the dish is frequently traced to the arrival of Cantonese cooks along the Peruvian coast in the nineteenth century, whose wok technique and soy sauce were folded into local cooking. Peruvian restaurants abroad, wherever communities have settled, keep it on the menu as well. To prepare it, beef strips are seared over very high heat, then red onion and tomato wedges are added briefly so they soften without turning to mush. Soy sauce and a splash of vinegar are stirred in to build a light, glossy sauce, with garlic, cumin and chilli adjusting the seasoning along the way. What sets this plate apart is how it is finished and served: the stir-fry is spooned over or alongside fried potatoes so they catch the sauce, next to a mound of white rice, and topped with chopped cilantro. Cooks vary the cut of meat, the ratio of onion to tomato, or swap in aji peppers, while keeping the same wok-and-plate structure.