Peruvian beef and pepper stir-fry with crispy fries
Beef rump strips seared hard and fast with red onion, tomato and capsicum, splashed with soy sauce and a little red wine vinegar the way lomo saltado always has been, then served straight over crispy oven fries instead of a separate side of rice. Salty, a little sharp, and done in under thirty minutes.
Notable for: vitamin C, iron, antioxidants
Ingredients
- 790 gbeef rump steak, sliced into thin strips
- 600 gfrozen crinkle-cut fries
- 200 gbrown onions, sliced into wedges
- 300 gtomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1red capsicum, sliced
- 15 gcrushed garlic
- 40 mlsoy sauce
- 20 mlred wine vinegar
- 1fresh coriander, chopped
- 10 mlolive oil
Method
Cook the frozen fries in the oven according to the packet instructions, timing them to finish with the beef.
Pat the beef strips dry and season them well, since a dry pan and a dry steak are what get a proper sear instead of a grey simmer.
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok until it's very hot, then sear the beef in two batches for about 90 seconds a batch, tossing constantly, and set it aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion and capsicum and cook over high heat for 3 minutes until just starting to soften but still with some bite.
Add the garlic and tomato wedges and cook for 1 minute, then return the beef to the pan with the soy sauce and red wine vinegar and toss everything together for a further minute.
Serve straight away, piled over the crispy fries and scattered with the coriander.
Sear the beef in batches, not all at once
Crowding the pan drops its temperature and the beef ends up simmering in its own juice instead of browning. Two smaller batches, each given the full 90 seconds without stirring too soon, is what gets the seared edge lomo saltado is built on.
Storage
Best eaten fresh, since the fries lose their crispness in the fridge.
If you do have leftovers, keep the beef and fries separate and reheat the fries in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.