Peruvian Cooking Class – Dinner
After landing in Lima on my Peru travels, one of the first orders of business was scheduling a Peruvian cooking class. Natalya had taken a class with Sky Kitchen when she was in Lima several years ago and she highly recommended it. She took the class with the lunch dishes, which she wrote about here: … Continue reading
Picarones
Picarones is Peruvian dessert that is commonly sold on the streets of Peru. The squash and sweet potato are puréed and mixed into a dough, which is then deep fried into doughnuts, and served with a syrup made from molasses. The flavor is so unique due to the squash and sweet poato, and its sweetness … Continue reading
Lomo Saltado
When I first arrived in Peru, I was surprised to see all the Chinese eateries all over Lima. I had not realized how large the Chinese immigrant population in Peru was, or rather, how much influence Chinese culture had on Peruvian cuisine. Asian Peruvians make up about 5% of the current population, although it is … Continue reading
Ceviche
Ceviche is an extremely popular coastal seafood dish in Central and South America. It is made with raw fish that is “cooked” in citrus juices (lime or lemon) and spiced with aji (chili peppers). It is often mixed with onions and served with complementing sides, such as sweet potato, lettuce, corn, avocado or plantain. The origins … Continue reading
Causa
Causa is a unique Peruvian dish made of potatoes (shocker, I know) that are mashed and seasoned with key lime, onion, chili, and oil. The mashed potatoes are then layered with a variety of stuffings, such as avocado, chicken, canned tuna, or shellfish. This potato salad “cake” is usually served cold. Causa is very popular … Continue reading
Aji De Gallina
Aji De Gallina is a traditional pulled chicken dish with aji sauce that we prepared as the main entrée in the Peruvian Cooking Class in Lima. It is a stew of chicken strips in a cheese sauce served with rice and boiled egg. Because of time constraints, our instructor pre-cooked the chicken itself prior to our arrival. Chef … Continue reading
Tiradito
Tiradito is a popular Peruvian appetizer that reflects how Japanese cuisine has influenced Peruvian cooking. It is prepared with sashimi-style fresh fish that is marinated with lime juice. Tiradito is similar to ceviche, but the fish isn’t diced into cubes and no onions are used. Both are typically garnished with boiled potatoes and Peruvian corn. … Continue reading
Papa A La Huancaina
I made this appetizer in my Peruvian Cooking Class in Lima. In the interest of saving time, the chef had pre-boiled the potatoes and eggs for us. The dish is a relatively heavy appetizer, since it is potato based with a creamy cheese sauce, so it’s a pretty strong start to a meal. Some of … Continue reading
Peruvian Cooking Class – Lunch
The main thing I wanted to do when planning a few days around Lima was to take a Peruvian cooking class. I was initially intrigued by Peruvian cuisine after visiting a few restaurants in New York: Lima’s Taste (weirdly on Cinco de Mayo years ago because it was “close enough to Mexican” when all Mexican … Continue reading
La Cerveceria, NYC
La Cerveceria Chef: René Ibarra Cuisine: Peruvian Neighborhood: East Village Price: all plates are under $20 Phone: 212-777-6965 Address: 65 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 Hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-12am, Frid-Sat 2pm-3am, Sun 2pm-12am Located on a busy stretch of Second Avenue amidst numerous bars and eateries, La Cerveceria is a Latin American/Peruvian restaurant that serves up … Continue reading