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Peruvian Salchipapas Recipe

Peruvian Salchipapas Recipe

Salchipapas is a Peruvian street food dish made of deep-fried potatoes (papas) and stir-fried beef sausages (salchichas). It has become one of Peru’s most popular street foods and a real staple quick dinner for the locals.

This dish is simple to make with just deep-fried potatoes mixed with stir-fried beef sausages, cut into small pieces and served with different condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and aji chilli sauce. 

Origin & Cultural Significance

The word Salchipapa derived from salchicha, meaning sausage, and papas for potatoes, and started as a poor man’s dish. Originally, it was called picada and was believed to have first appeared during the 1960s when food stall vendors started to sell this along the streets of Lima, Peru and were sold among the lower class people as a midnight snack at a cheap cost.

The dish became very popular and was later adapted by restaurant owners to become part of their menus. Local residents began to incorporate this dish into their own homes and tried various versions of preparing the recipe. 

Later, it became known in other areas of Peru and through the years spread its popularity across other regions of South America and beyond. Different variations in the original recipe emerged notably in Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia and became famous across all of these countries as well.

Today, every third Sunday of November is celebrated as the National Salchipapas Day to commemorate its huge popularity among the people of Peru. 

Salchipapas

Peruvian Salchipapas Recipe

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Salchipapas is a Peruvian street food dish made of deep-fried potatoes (papas) and stir-fried beef sausages (salchichas). It has become one of Peru’s most popular street foods and a real staple quick dinner for the locals.

Ingredients

  • Russet Potatoes (cut into sticks) - 3 Large pcs
  • Beef Sausages - 250g
  • Frying Oil
  • Salt
  • Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
  • Ketchup - 1/4 cup
  • Aji Chili sauce - 1 tbsp.
  • Mustard - 1/4 cup
  • Coriander (chopped) - 2 tbsp.

Instructions

  1. Wash potatoes with water then peel. Cut them into sticks about ½ inch thick each.
  2. In a large bowl, place the cut potato sticks in cold water. Ideally, it is best to soak the potatoes for at least an hour. The longer the soak time, the crispier the fries.
  3. Remove the potato sticks from the bowl and rinse them twice with running cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. 
  4. In a deep frying pan, heat up the oil to 325 degrees. Slowly add the potato sticks in small portions.
  5. Do not overcrowd the pan to maintain heat and to allow potatoes to cook evenly. Fry for 3 minutes until soft. 
  6. Remove potato sticks from the oil and place on paper towels then set aside. Fry other batches of potatoes and repeat the process.
  7. Increase the oil temperature to 400 degrees and slowly add the cooked potatoes again in small batches for double fry. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crisp is reached. 
  8. After frying, place the cooked fries in a large bowl and sprinkle some salt over and toss to coat the fries. Set aside.
  9. Slice the beef sausages into small round bite-sized pieces. 
  10. Heat up the pan then add a teaspoon of oil. Stir fry the sausages for about 4 minutes. 
  11. Remove the pan from the heat and add the fries and mix. 
  12. Top and drizzle with ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, Aji chili sauce and coriander for garnish. Best served warm and fries still crispy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 720Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1232mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 17g

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