Seitan Lomo Saltado

If you’ve never tried lomo saltado before, then let me convince you—this is your sign. While this dish is typically made using beef, I found this recipe to be the perfect opportunity to sub in seitan to create a delicious, fully satisfying vegan meal

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more if needed
• 1 lb. seitan, cut in strips 
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 aji amarillo or fresno chiles, seeded and sliced 
• 2 roma tomatoes, cored and sliced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• French fries
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Directions

Step 1

In a large skillet over high heat, heat oil until it just starts to smoke. Add seitan and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

If there is no visible oil in pan, add about 1 Tbsp. more Add onion and chile and cook, tossing constantly, until onions have just started to soften, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, tossing, until warmed through and still maintain some of their bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Step 3

Reduce heat to medium and add soy sauce and vinegar, stirring until seitan and veggies are coated with sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Step 4

Remove skillet from heat and add fries, tossing until combined. Top with cilantro.

But first, some background: Lomo saltado is a very popular Peruvian dish with origins in chifa cuisine. Chifa is the culinary mashup developed by Chinese-Peruvian immigrants who applied Cantonese techniques and ingredients to Peruvian foods. This dish is the epitome of this amazing fusion of culinary worlds. The recipe takes aji amarillo (Peruvian chiles) and papas fritas (French fries) and prepares them in the style of a Cantonese stir fry.

Notes

We love using freshly made fries for this, but if you want to save on time and cleanup, frozen fries would work great too. If you’re not a seitan fan, no worries—feel free to sub in tofu or any vegan protein if you want to keep this a plant-based dish, or use beef if you want to try your hand at the original.