• Plan ahead when making any of these recipes. Read the recipe from start to finish, checking if you have the right ingredients and/or equipment to make it.
• A cook is as good as the ingredients he has. Buy the best ingredients you can afford, whether it’s vegetables, fruits, or any kind of meat. Be particularly careful when buying seafood. Peruvians use only the freshest fish and seafood available, but of course we have the huge advantage of being next to the ocean.
• When using fresh chili peppers, toasting and blanching them will tame the heat while leaving the flavor intact. If all you can find is ají paste, start with a small amount and keep tasting it as you add more. These tend to be hotter than their fresh counterparts, so be cautious.
• Some recipes require a little previous preparation (mise en place). Prepare the doughs, marinate the meats, wash, peel, and chop everything you will need before starting. Line them in the order you are going to use them to make your life easier when cooking.
• Taste the dish at different stages of the preparation and season accordingly. Feel free to make all the seasoning changes you consider necessary, as there is nothing worse than bland food.
• Vegetarian or vegan versions can be made of most of our dishes. Be adventurous and experiment!
• Stick as much as possible to the first instructions given. Once you know how each recipe turns out and how the dish should look and taste like, you can bring in your own creativity and improvise. Remember that no recipe is written in stone. For us, food is a living, breathing entity, infused with the energy of each cook. Put some music on, roll up your sleeves, and have fun!
