Tallarin saltado

Peruvian stir-fry noodle

This dish originally crossed the boundaries between Peruvian cuisine and the early Asian migration. This version, based on a recipe from Peru, the Cookbook by Gaston Acurio, is a variation of the very traditional — almost staple — lomo saltado. Fang and I enjoy making it at home because it’s a collaborative effort, both in the prepping and the making (I, more often than not, get to do the dishes too).

Best cooked in a wok on a gas burner, it can also be done in a frying pan on the more traditional electric stove. However, you do it, make sure the wok or pan is very hot. You can replace the beef with vegetables or seafood if you want to.

Serves 4

700g spaghetti, linguine or any long pasta

600g beef tenderloin cut into strips

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 red onion, cut into thick slices

2 yellow capsicum, sliced

2 chillies, sliced (remove seeds and veins to reduce heat) 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 Tbsp white wine vinegar

4 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup vegetable or beef stock

4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded, cut into thick slices 1 spring onion, cut into 4cm pieces

1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt and pepper

1 Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water (I prefer it al dente).

Drain and set aside.

2 Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of oil to a very hot wok or frying pan, add the meat, and stir-fry until browned and medium-well done, about two minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.

3 Add two tablespoons of oil, followed by the onion, yellow capsicum, chillies and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds then add the cooked and drained pasta. Stir-fry for another minute.

4 Add the beef, vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and stock. Stir-fry

for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cook for another 30 seconds.

5 Add the spring onion and chopped coriander leaves. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in large shallow bowls.