Arroz Chaufa: Chinese-Peruvian Fried Rice

by Nico on February 6, 2013 in Recipes

Arroz Chaufa, or Chinese-Peruvian Fried Rice is a wonderful example of how Peruvians embraced the ingredients and flavors of Chinese cuisine which was brought to Peru by Chinese immigrants over 150 years ago. Today, Arroz Chaufa can be found on the lunch menu of almost any restaurant in Lima, not just the popular Chifas. This dish has many variations but its two main spices are ginger and soy sauce. The recipe here is my own, and the key is to have all the ingredients prepared and measured ahead of time and set in a mise en place, so that you can quickly stir fry them and serve the dish immediately.
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Habanero Pisco Sour

by Nico on January 30, 2013 in Cocktails

Habanero Pisco Sour

In honor of the upcoming National Pisco Sour Day, which falls on the first Saturday of February each year, I was inspired to experiment with the traditional recipe. And like all good controlled experiments, I changed one variable at a time, proportions, citrus, and even the flavor of the simple syrup, then tasted the results. Several cocktails later, I found a spicy winner — the Habanero Pisco Sour.
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Maricel Presilla at Omnivore Books

by Nico on January 23, 2013 in Events

Gran Cocina Latina at Omnivore Books

Last Monday, I had the pleasure of serving a Pisco cocktail and Peruvian dessert at Omnivore Books where Maricel Presilla took the audience on an intimate and personal journey through Latin America and spoke about her new book, Gran Cocina Latina. In the process, she asked the audience “what is Latin America?” and gave us a sense of what it was like to travel to different countries over a period of three decades, cooking with the locals, learning about tradition, and compiling recipes to share with the world.
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Pisco and Ginger Ale (Chilcano)

by Nico on January 16, 2013 in Cocktails

Chilcano — Pisco and ginger ale variations with lime, blood orange, grapefruit, and pineapple

January 11-17 is officially Chilcano week in Peru, so to celebrate I experimented with different variations. And though it’s still winter in Califonia, you can taste a little bit of the Summer in Peru by preparing this simplest of cocktails: Pisco, lime juice, ice, ginger ale, stir, done. Here’s how you can share this cocktail with a group of friends in a DIY Peruvian fashion.
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Pisco Prune Punch

by Nico on January 9, 2013 in Cocktails

Pisco Prune Punch

Some recipes are born by accident, others by necessity. You like buñuelos but can’t afford milk and eggs? Use a sweet potato and squash purée instead and make the Peruvian donuts — Picarones. The upper class chef throws away beef hearts? Marinade them in hot peppers and vinegar, grill them and make the Peruvian kebobs — Anticuchos. So if a recipe calls for prunes soaked in Pisco, what do you do with the leftover Pisco? You accidentally make a cocktail.
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