The Go-to Guide to Peruvian Gastronomy You were Looking for

If you google ‘Peruvian food’, you’ll get something like hundreds of articles explaining why the gastronomy of this South-American country is so internationally praised. And there’s no doubt, the cultural heritage, the mix of cultures and the local touch they give to each dish has taken this particular gastronomy to getting such a positive renown.

Do you want to learn more about this amazing cuisine? Keep reading and visit this link to find a recipe on one of the most traditional meals in the country: arroz chaufa, https://carolinarice.com/recipes/arroz-chaufa/.

Peruvian Cuisine: The Origins

As you probably know already, Peru was the territory of the Inca Empire and this is one of the main influences of modern gastronomy. Even if it was a long time ago, the Inca Empire managed to master the art of harvesting thanks to the characteristics of the land. The territory we know as Peru today, allowed some microclimates to thrive, which, in turn, gave them the possibility of experimenting with some ingredients such as potato, a classic in most dishes today.

However, we can say this is just half of the heritage they had. Their gastronomy is also highly influenced by the wide variety of ethnic groups that crossed the oceans and made a living in the area. These groups were the Chinese, Japanese and African people.

Nowadays, each region in the country has a distinctive feature and they all have different cooking styles and ingredients they favor. But some of the most famous dishes are ceviche and arroz chaufa.

Complete Guide to Peruvian Gastronomy

In the past decade, Peruvian gastronomy has been increasingly popular and that’s because of some things mentioned before. The history behind every dish is unique, they have found a way to make new things paying a more than respectable tribute to their heritage and influences. You will find dishes that are based on others from a different nationality but still have a local and unique touch.

On the other hand, Peruvian cuisine is popular because of the variety. As mentioned above, the land has a coast, jungles and mountains. Such a diverse territory also offers a diversity in the ingredients and, in turn, a wide variety of possibilities when it comes to mixing them.

Arroz Chaufa

This is the perfect example of importing a dish and creating a new local version of it. Arroz chaufa is nothing but the Peruvian version of Chinese Fried rice. If you were looking for the perfect opportunity to try Peruvian food, this is the time. Here’s a recipe you can follow to bring this unique cuisine to the comfort of your house.

Ingredients:

•       1 ½ cup of white rice (any kind).
•       2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
•       4 eggs.
•       1 cup of cubed chicken thighs.
•       Salt to taste.
•       Black pepper to taste.
•       ½ red bell pepper.
•       1 onion.
•       2 cloves of garlic.
•       2 tsp of fresh ginger (grated).
•       1 sliced green onion.
•       Soy sauce to taste.
•       1 ½ tsp of sesame oil.
•       1 tsp of ground cumin.
•       ½ tsp of sugar.

Steps:

1. You will start by making a cup and half of white rice in three cups of boiling water. Season the water with some salt and cook for fifteen minutes. Once done, drain it and set aside.
2. Take a medium saucepan and pour some olive oil in it. Take it to the stove over a low heat.
3. In the meantime, beat four eggs in a bowl. You can season with some salt and pepper. Take it to the skillet and make scrambled eggs. Once done, remove and set aside this too.
4. Pour some more olive oil in the saucepan. Now you will cook the chicken thighs which you can previously cube. Season with some salt and pepper and cook until browned. Once again, remove from the skillet when they are done and set aside.
5. Take half a red bell pepper, wash it and chop it down. Take an onion, peel it and chop it down too. Take everything to the skillet and start sauteing.
6. As that cooks, chop up two cloves of garlic and add it to the skillet together with some grated ginger. Once that is almost done, add the green onions and cook for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the rice and the thighs to the skillet and integrate. Mix some soy sauce with some sugar and sesame oil and stir in. Heat everything up for a few minutes and turn the heat off.
8. Add the scrambled eggs on top and garnish with some more green onions.