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Found 23 results for "peru"

Peru: Biodiversity on a Plate

Peru surprised me more than any other country. With 84 of the world's 117 ecosystems, it's a paradise for ingredients you won't find anywhere else. My month-long journey took me from Lima's innovative restaurants to humble picanterías in Arequipa.

perutravelcuisine-overview

appetizer

Classic Peruvian Ceviche

Fresh fish "cooked" in lime juice sounds simple until you realize how precise the timing needs to be. Fifteen minutes in citrus acid—no more, no less—transforms raw fish into something tender and bright, but go too long and you've got fish jerky.

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side-dish

Peruvian Causa Limeña

Smooth potato puree whipped with lime juice and ají amarillo, layered with avocado, tomato, and protein like an elegant terrine—that's causa. The technique transforms humble potatoes into something sophisticated enough for dinner parties yet comforting enough for family meals, proving potatoes deserve way more respect than we give them.

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main-dish

Lomo Saltado

Walk into any restaurant in Lima—from the fanciest spot in Miraflores to the humblest menu del día joint in a working neighborhood—and you'll find lomo saltado. It's the dish that bridges every class, every occasion, every craving. Whether you're grabbing lunch at a hole-in-the-wall cafeteria or celebrating at a tablecloth restaurant, lomo saltado is there, reliable as gravity.

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travel

Mexico: A Culinary Journey

After spending three months traveling through Mexico, I can confidently say it has one of the world's most diverse and sophisticated cuisines. Each region tells its own story through food, from Mexican Guacamole to complex Fermented Salsa variations.

mexicotravelcuisine-overview

travel

Argentina: Fire, Meat, and Wine

Argentina is synonymous with beef, but after two months exploring from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, I discovered a cuisine shaped by Italian immigration, indigenous traditions, and an obsession with quality ingredients.

argentinatravelcuisine-overview

travel

Japan: Precision and Seasonality

Japan's approach to food is like no other. After spending two months eating my way through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, I'm still processing the experience. It's not just about taste - it's about respect for ingredients, seasonality, and presentation.

japantravelcuisine-overview

technique

Rice Around the World

Rice serves as a foundation ingredient across numerous cuisines, with different varieties and preparation methods creating distinct textures, flavors, and cultural significance. Understanding these differences improves both technique and cultural appreciation.

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main-dish

Mushroom Birria Tacos

Mushrooms can develop the same pull-apart texture that makes birria so addictive—you just need to treat them like meat. Sear them hard, build layers of smoky chile flavor, and give them time to absorb all those earthy notes. The result is crimson-soaked tortillas that glisten when they hit the griddle, no beef required.

mushroomvegetarianfusion

main-dish

Pad Thai

Street-style Pad Thai with tamarind's sweet-sour punch and that perfect wok hei char—that's what happens when rice noodles meet high heat and confident technique. The key isn't just the sauce balance (sweet, sour, salty, spicy), it's the speed and precision of stir-frying everything at exactly the right moment.

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main-dish

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant gets a bad reputation for being bitter and spongy, but when you salt it properly, bread it well, and layer it with good tomato sauce and cheese, it transforms into something that proves vegetarian food can be just as satisfying as any meat dish.

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main-dish

Birria Tacos with Rich Consommé

Deep red consommé built from layers of smoky chiles and slow-braised beef—that's the soul of birria. Four hours of patient simmering transforms tough cuts into tender, flavorful meat swimming in liquid gold that's as good for dipping tortillas as it is for sipping from a bowl.

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main-dish

Korean BBQ Short Ribs Galbi

Korean galbi transforms tough short ribs into something tender enough to cut with chopsticks while maintaining enough structure to handle aggressive grilling. The secret lies in the marinade—a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami that penetrates deep into the meat during its long overnight bath.

koreanbbqshort-ribs

fermentation

The Kombucha Chronicles: From SCOBY to Fizzy

I'll admit it — the first time I saw a SCOBY, I thought someone had left a jellyfish in a jar. This alien-looking disc floating in murky tea turned out to be the gateway to one of my favorite fermentation adventures. After months of buying overpriced bottles at the store (and maybe sneaking a few extra samples at the farmers market), I decided it was time to brew my own.

fermentationkombuchabeverages

side-dish

Classic Sauerkraut

My first attempt at sauerkraut was a disaster. I used table salt (wrong), packed it loosely (wrong), and fermented it somewhere warm (also wrong). The result was mushy, overly salty, and vaguely alcoholic. But something about the process — watching simple ingredients transform through time and salt — hooked me completely.

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main-dish

Beef Bulgogi

Paper-thin beef, properly marinated, transforms into something entirely different when it hits a screaming hot pan. The sugars caramelize, the edges char, and suddenly everyone's leaning in closer, stealing pieces before they even make it to the plate.

beefkoreanmarinated

main-dish

Moroccan Grilled Sardines

Fresh sardines grilled simply over charcoal with bold Moroccan spices—that's all you need for something extraordinary. The charmoula sauce isn't an afterthought but the star: a fragrant paste bright with cilantro and preserved lemon that could wake the dead and makes even skeptics understand why sardines deserve respect.

sardinesgrillingmoroccan

main-dish

Bun Cha Lemongrass

Lemongrass-infused meatballs that char beautifully on the grill, served with tangy nuoc mam sauce and fresh herbs—that's bun cha. The secret is mincing the lemongrass so fine it becomes part of the meat's texture, releasing citrusy fragrance with every bite while the dipping sauce bridges sweet, sour, and umami in perfect harmony.

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beverage

Moroccan Mint Tea

Watching a Moroccan pour mint tea is like watching liquid architecture—the arc of golden tea streaming from teapot to glass from an impossible height, creating the perfect foam that marks properly prepared atay. This isn't just making tea; it's performing hospitality.

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appetizer

Italian Bruschetta Trio

Great bruschetta starts with understanding that bread isn't just a vehicle—it's an ingredient. The char from grilling, the richness from good olive oil, the texture from proper thickness—all of this matters as much as whatever you pile on top.

bruschettaitalianbread

breakfast

Morning Masala Chai & Fresh Paratha

Aromatic spiced tea paired with warm, flaky flatbread—that's the perfect Indian breakfast duo. The chai gets its character from properly boiling milk with whole spices until it threatens to foam over, while paratha becomes flaky through a simple folding technique that creates buttery layers without the fuss.

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main-dish

Argentine Asado

Four hours over live fire isn't cooking—it's a commitment to doing meat properly. Real asado demands patience: coals that burn down slowly, cuts that render fat for hours, and the understanding that good things happen when you refuse to rush the process.

grillingbeefpork

side-dish

Preserved Lemons

The first time I tasted preserved lemons, I was completely unprepared. That intensely salty, floral, almost perfumed flavor hit like a revelation — this wasn't just "lemony," it was something entirely different. The rind becomes silky and translucent, the harsh bite transformed into complex umami depth that makes everything it touches sing.

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