Recipes

Tallarin Saltado

Serves 4-6

| Prep Time: 20 mins

| Cook Time: 25 mins

| Total Time: 45 mins

You may need: Aji Amarillo

Discover The Recipe

Tallarin Saltado (Pervian Stir-Fried Noodles) is a spicy latin-asian fusion dish you can make at home. Walk the streets of Lima, Peru and you will be hard-pressed not to find a Chinese restaurant serving up steaming bowls of fried rice or fried noodles. The Asian influence in Peru is tangible with one of the largest Asian populations in Latin America. Over 1 million Peruvians claim Chinese or Japanese descent.

The fusion of Chinese recipes and cooking styles with local ingredients is called Chifa and a Japanese fusion is called Nikkei. Many of Peru's most famous dishes, such as Lomo Saltado (stir- fried beef), are born of the Chifa and Nikkei traditions: salty, vinegary beef is stir-stir fried with vegetables, local chili peppers called Aji, and french fries.

Some chefs argue that even Peru's best known dish Ceviche (raw seafood cured in citrus) was modernized by Japanese techniques with raw fish. Aren't we all lucky for this confluence! This Chifa dish, called Tallarin Saltado (Peruvian stir-fried noodles), is a Peruvian takeout classic you can make at home. Add in the Aji Amarillo (spicy, fruity yellow chilis) we provide and you'll have a spiced winner you can proudly post on Instagram! Customize the heat of this dish by reducing Aji Amarillo (for mild use 1/2 tsp, and then dial it up from there). You can also customize this dish with veggies and proteins of choice.

Ingredients

Tallarin Saltado
1 pound linguine noodles
4 quarts water
1 lb pork, cut into cubes
¼ tsp pepper
4 Tbsp avocado oil, divided (or vegetable oil)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, diced or grated
1 red onion, chopped
1 tsp Piquant Post Aji Amarillo spice (1/2 tsp for mild, up to 1 Tbsp for spicy hot!)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 cups cabbage, chopped
3 cups spinach
For the sauce:
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (to further reduce sodium, substitute 2 Tbsp water for soy sauce)
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Green onions, sliced for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Notes

We like to slightly under cook the pork at first, because it will finish cooking when added back to the pan. This helps prevent an overcooked and dry pork.

This dish is perfect for clearing out vegetables from the fridge. Feel free to substitute any vegetables that you love! The traditional recipe uses red bell pepper and snow peas, but use your favorites.

Rinsing the pasta stops the cooking process and helps prevent the noodles from sticking together too much.

This recipe is meant to skew a little salty. For those who prefer less sodium, make sure to use low sodium soy sauce. You can also cut the soy sauce and even oyster sauce in half by subbing in equal amounts of warm water.

Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add linguine noodles, cook according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the water from the pasta, then drain and rinse with cool water.

Season the pork cubes with pepper. Heat oil in a large pan or wok over Med-High heat. Stir fry the pork, about 6-7 minutes, until right before cooked through (look for a white color, with a pink tint). Set aside, leaving oil in the pan.

In the hot pan, add garlic, ginger, onion. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add Piquant Post Aji Amarillo and stir fry for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add bell pepper, cabbage and spinach, stir fry for 3-4 more minutes. Add in cooked noodles and pork.

In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, reserved pasta water, and red wine vinegar. Add the sauce to the stir fried noodles, pork, and vegetables and toss to mix. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Alternatives & Substitutions

This dish is easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. Substitute pork for chopped chicken, beef, shrimp, and/or extra veggies.
We used commonly found linguine noodles, but this dish is also great with Chinese egg noodles!
For vegan/vegetarian, substitute pork for tofu and use hoisin instead of oyster sauce. Or, try making our delightful Vegan Aguadito (Peruvian mushroom soup), or our Vegan Avocado Causa, and Stuffed Avocado.
Try using Aji Amarillo in our Lomo Saltado or Peruvian Causa Potato Salad.
Other ideas for Aji Amarillo are a Peruvian classic dish is Aji de Gallina (Creamy Peruvian Chicken), this creamy and decadent Aji Amarillo Chicken Risotto, this marinated Aji Amarillo Grilled Pork Loin, or this Cilantro Beef Stew.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!