 I try to reduce my dairy intake as much as i can, I love ice cream and that can be a problem. I thought vegan ice couldn't be as good as regular one until I went with Ailine to the new vegan ice cream place in Kollwitzkiez called Tribeca, and they convinced me. I had a lucuma quinoa ice cream and I loved it. I thought maybe I can recreate that at home and it wasnt so easy. After 4 batches, I finally got the perfect ingredients and amounts. I have no churn at home, so that was the tricky part. Be creamy without having that machine. (And don't taste like coconut) So at the end, I decided on Cashews for the base of it.  Ingredients 150 gr raw cashews 500 ml Soy milk 3 tbsp Vegetable Shortening or fat 4 tbsp Lucuma powder 1/2 cup agave nectar 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch sea salt A hanfull of quinoa pops  First of all, soak the cashews for a night or a day. Drain them and then you can start. Simmer the milk until it has reduced to the half and let it cool. Add cashews, milk, melted fat, agave syrup, vanilla, lucuma powder and sea salt to a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth, you want it to be completely creamy and blended.  Lucuma is a peruvian super food. It is my favorite one. sadly I dont think you can eat it raw, so mostly it is use for desserts, smoothies, ice creams... you name it. It contains beta carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and protein. Its maple-like taste makes it a sweet addition without increasing your blood sugar levels, unlike many sweeteners that offer empty calories. Besides all that, it keeps you young, Ladies! Lucuma has an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and skin-repair effects on human skin! So just order a bag at amazon and lets start the lucuma eating bonanza.  Returning to the recipe, put the creamy mixture into a bowl and cover it with plastic foil. Freeze it for one or 2 hours. Take it out of the freezer and mix it in a kitchen machine for 15 minutes on high speed. It will be hard but creamy. What we are trying to do here is to break the ice pieces so it stays creamy instead of hard and ice-y.  Add a piece of parchment in a freezer friendly form. And like a lasagna, alternate ice cream mix and quinoa pops. If you can find them, here is how you can make them. Freeze for a couple of hours or until it is hard.  As any ice cream, before eating, take it out of the freezer some minutes before eating. But with this ice cream, make it for longer time. about 15 to 20 minutes. That is the only "con" of my recipe. Using an ice crem scoop, or a tablespoon, serve it in a waffle cone, waffle, brownie... you name it! and enjoy! 
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 Ceviche as the world know it, is fish or seafood cooked with lime acid instead of heat/fire. It is a peruvian dish that has taken the world in a storm the last years. When I was a kid, I remember we had different kinds of ceviche without anything that lived in the ocean. Like chicken ceviche and mushrooms ceviche. Ceviche is not just about the taste, but the consistency of the "meat". Button mushrooms have a very fish-y consistency once they are cooked and the umami flavour creates a very believable plant-based ceviche. I am not vegan, but I am trying to cut down on eating meat.  Ingredients (2 pax) 4 big button mushrooms (shiitake, portobello or crimini will work) 4 limes (check that they are juicy and big) 1 red onion, Use a yellow one if you preffer a milder taste 2 garlic cloves 1/2 Avocado 1 tbsp chili paste (I use this peruvian chili) Salt, Pepper and Cumin Scallions or Koriander 1 big sweet potato Salad leafs 1 corn A handful of peruvian popcorn - optional Vegetable oil  First, start popping those babies! in a pan with oil, add the peruvian popcorn and put a lid over it. Stir a bit until all are popped. Sprinkle some salt and let them cool. Boil or steam the sweet potato and once is tender, let it cool as well.  Cut the mushrooms in slices or dices. I always go for slices as they feel more like eating fish. Put them in a bowl, Add the onion in julienne, garlic in dices or crushed, chili paste, chili, salt, pepper and cumin. Now squeeze those limes! take ALL the juice! Dont forget to wash them first. because you want to avoid the bitterness of the skin. Pour the juice over the mushrooms and mix well. Add some scallions or coriander over the mix and let it macerate for at least 40 minutes. Test one mushroom and it should be tender and not crunchy. Add more salt or chili paste if needed.  While the ceviche is "cooking" make a puree out of the sweet potatoes, cook the corn and cut the avocado in slices. Stir the ceviche mix occasionally so all the ingredients cook evenly.  Now its time to plate. Start with a bed of salad. Add the ceviche over it as well as the corn, popcorn, sweet potato and avocado. Pour over some of the lime juice and drizzle some scallions or coriander at the top. Now ENJOY this plant-based umami heaven!  If you want to try the fish variation of it Check this recipe!
 There are about 150 different kinds of Quinoa. Though the most common kinds you can buy everywhere are white, red and black. I am a big fan of quinoa (duh? I am peruvian) and I love them in every color and texture. The white quinoa is the fluffy one that is a bit closer in texture to couscous. The red and black are crunchier, so I find them better for a summer salad. Quinoa has not only protein, but it is also a source of fiber and iron! For me is the complete package side dish and works perfectly to complement any salad. I made today a black quinoa salad with shrimps. But you can skip the "animal protein" and just eat the rest. This is one of my favorite summer recipes.  Ingredients for 2: 1 cup black quinoa (wash it first if it isnt pre-washed) 1 cup of broth 8 prawns or big shrimps a handful of peas a handful of granate apple 1 avocado 1 scallion 1/2 zucchini 1/2 mozarella Rocket salad Olive oil Lime juice Salt & Pepper  How to prepare Quinoa? Wash it First! always wash it, otherwise it will become bitter. Now, the water quinoa ratio is: For each unit of Quinoa, add 2 units of water. I like to add broth to the mix to maximize the flavor. So lets say go for 1 part quinoa, 1 part water and 1 part broth. Let it boil and turn the heat to minimum, add the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.  While the quinoa is cooking, Cut the zucchini in julienne (or use a spiralizer) Fry it in a hot wok with some oil for 2 minutes and take it of the heat. Do the same with the peas. Cut the avocado and scallion. Once the quinoa is done, mix it with the rocket leaves, scallions and some lime, add salt if needed. Fry the shrimps until the are golden.  Place the quinoa mix first and add all the toppings over it. Sprinkle some more scallions, salt and pepper over it and dont forget the pomegranate seeds as well. Now lets wait for the sun to shine and let's eat some of this.   For the ones that dont know much about the Peruvian culinary tradition, we have loads of cultural influences. One of the best outcomes of it, is the Japanese influence. What brings us Nikkei, a combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine that has become new trend amongst Europe. I mean, Sushi mixes perfectly with ceviche if you think about it. Combining Japanese dishes with Peruvian flavors and techniques has a remarkable effect. The minimalism and delicacy of Japanese food meets the rough freshness and spiciness of Peru. a deadly combination for every foodie around!  Both are so similar, yet so different. But what is Nikkei? or what does the word mean? Nikkei people are Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have created communities throughout the world. And Nikkei food, for me, is the evolution of Japanese food where these communities live. I was in Peru this May, and I was dying to eat some Nikkei again after 14 years living in Europe. I had to Taste the trend. Sadly I couldnt go visit Micha, my childhood friend and owner of the number 13 of the 50 best restaurants in the world, but I got to take a little time to visit Osaka and get delighted with all the flavours this cuisine has to offer.  I went there with my family. And we started with some delicious Nikkei Cocktails made with japanese and peruvian fruits. Each of them tastier than the other. I got the Pisco Punch Osaka as i loved the one I tried at the Super Foods Event from last december.   We started with 2 Tiraditos. Tiradito is a Peruvian dish of raw fish, cut in the shape of sashimi, and of aspect similar to crudo, and carpaccio, in a spicy sauce. Carpassion: Salmon, passion fruit honey, watercress and crunchy dough and Osaka Tataki, a grilled seared tuna, oriental citrus sauce, togarashi and negi.  Carpassion & OSK Tataki  After the tiraditos, we ordered a nigiri platter. A dream of Foie Gras, Shrimps and truffles. It was mouth-watering. - Hotate Truffle: Fan shells, white truffle butter and lemon - Tuna Foie: Tuna, foie gras, teriyaki sauce and Maldon salt. - Evil Ebi: Prawn, BBQ Osk and chalaquita.  Hotate Truffle, Tuna Foie & Evil Prawn  We followed the Nigiris with Nikkei Makis that included Antiku, Prawns tempura, negi and seared loin with Nikkei anticucho sauce. And Spicy Crunchy, a maki made out Prawns batayaki, crab pulp, crunchy quinoa and togarashi.  Antiku & Spicy Crunchy  Mariscos al Fuego And before we decided on the main dishes, we had to try at least one Peruvian Izakaya. This was a great name for it as it means Japanese Tapas. We went for the beautiful Mariscos al Fuego, or Seafood on Fire! it just melted in your mouth and left you yearning for more! An amazingly made mix of seafood sautéed in butter, togarashi and lemon.  Niku Kabayaki The main dishes arrived! As a huge fan of Yuzu, I ordered the Niku Kabayaki, a Wagyu slices, kabayaki and yuzu butter. I loved the fact that you could grill your own meat and the sides. OH MY! an onion marmalade and fried peruvian cassava.  Salmon Tentsuyu The rest of the family ordered these amazing dishes: - Salmon Tentsuyu, a salmon confit in lime oil, negi and avocado tempura. - Pato Mochero, Crispy duck leg over wok rice, cecina and shiitake with honey of tumbo - Shiromi a la Brasa, White fish marinated in shoyu with crispy garlic sauce, almonds and Peruvian peppers. - OSK Wok, Wok rice with vegetables and shrimps.  Pato Mochero  Shiromi a la Brasa  OSK Wok We had a great night, everything was highly pleasant to the taste. For me, this culinary fusion is the best I have ever tried. And IMHO, everyone should try this beautiful love child between Peru and Japan. I tested the trend, And I got even more hungry for it as I was before this meal. Damn, I will even try to make some Nikkei recipes for the blog!! If you are in Lima and you want to try some Nikkei besides Osaka - My friend Micha's Maido - Costanera 700 a restaurant I had the honor to work with years ago - Mesa18 from the Legend Toshiro Konishi  The Familia after that Nikkei Bonanza  Peru aims to strengthen its presence in international trade with the global launch of the brand 'SuperFoods del Peru', an initiative that reflects the nutritional benefits and quality of the Peruvian agricultural products. As you might already know, I am peruvian and I am VERY proud of peruvian food. During the Fruit Logistica in Germany, the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, said that superfoods to be promoted under the brand will be quinoa, maca, purple corn, aguaymanto, lucuma, Camu camu, cacao, sacha inchi, grapes, blueberries, mandarin, mango, avocado, asparagus and even fish oil. Also, cañihua, yacon, chestnuts, algarrobo, giant corn from Cusco, chirimoya, guanabana, broccoli and pomegranate will also be considered. And while my school Friend and Soccer player, Claudio Pizarro, was made SuperFoods Peru Ambassador, I got invited to the PromPeru "SuperFoods Peru" Event at Chicha Berlin.  Bloggers Table including Krautkopf, Herz & Blut, In search Of, TwoFoodiesEating & More My mega foodsquad babes Maria, Sophia and Kai were of course there and we were served a Pisco Punch.. Made with pisco, champagne, pineapple juice between others... and what a punch was it! Got us all happy happy before PromPeru's Presentation (Here the video) We had a big menu made exclusively with Peruvian SuperFoods and they were delicious. Not to mention my homesickness went away in a split of a second. We had a beautiful evening with laughter, amazing food and I was so proud to be able to see my friends eating peruvian food. Not for nothing we won 5 consecutive times the best culinary destination in the world. Scroll down to see more picture of that evening including some group photos made by PromPeru.  Pisco Punch  Eating and Taking pictures  Choclo, Cheese, Corn, and Purple Corn buns  The Kitchen at Chicha Berlin  Ceviche with Purple Sweet Potatoes and Blueberries  Loooooove!  Quinoa.. the favorite dish among my fellow bloggers.  We could eat this heads completely! sooo yummie!  Sophia from In Search Of and Yannic & Susann from Krautkopf  a Mouth-watering version of the classic Peruvian Lomo Saltado  So dying to remember what was happening here! Haha Have you ever heard of peruvian Super Foods? have you tried any of them? If yes, how was it? Any favorites?
 Because I come from a country that has unique vegetables and fruits, I make the mistake of thinking I cant find in europe many of my favorite ones. In Peru, mostly sundays, we have huge breakfast that turns into brunch and then into lunch. And one of my favorite dishes of those days are "Pastel de Acelga" or Chard Pie.  When I was at my parents hotel last month, a costumer brought me something called "Mangold" in german and OMG! it was Acelga. So when I returned to Berlin, I jumped into the first whole food store and looked for chard. In germany chard is beautiful. It comes in a range of reds, yellow and greens. In Peru it is just dark green. So here is my sunday recipe of Peruvian Chard Pie. I hope you guys enjoy it! INGREDIENTS DOUG: 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup warm water OR Get a yeast dough from your supermarket. THE FILLING: 1/2 kilo of Chard 1 cup ricotta cheese or creme fraiche 4 tablespoons grated cheese 50 gr feta cheese 4 eggs or the amount of pie forms you will make 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 medium red onion 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt to taste  PREPARATION Mix the flour with the salt and place it on the table, make a hole in the center, incorporate water, yolk, margarine and vegetable oil. Knead and make eight buns, let rest for 25 minutes. Wash, cook and squeeze the chard to remove the water. Cut and fry the onion in extra virgin olive oil, add cooked chard, cheese, nutmeg, pepper and salt.  Stretch four small pieces of dough, spread with vegetable oil and place one on top of the other. Put the dough in the base of the pie form, place inside the filling and four eggs. (I used smal forms so I added one egg per form) With the other four pieces of dough, repeat the process of stretching, spread with extra virgin olive oil between layer and layer; And finally cover the chard mix. Sprinkle some sea salt over it. Brush with egg . Bake at 180 ° C for 1 hour (20 minutes for small forms), then serve and enjoy!  You can try the same recipe using spinach or Kale, just dont forget to squeeze the vegetables before using. A good tip is to steam the leaves first, let them cool down and then roll them in several kitchen papers until they are dry.   Sorry for my long absence. I was often in the hospital and My daughter, Pepa Carlota, was born this May. A newborn baby is loads of work, and even more for a single mom like myself. I was in the mood for peruvian and there is nothing easier to make than an Arroz Chaufa. That is my favorite chinese-peruvian fusion dish. We used to have this when we had rice leftovers at home. But I was browsing my facebook timeline and someone said that Aymara made a version with quinoa instead of rice, and I had to try that at home.  Ingredients: 100 gr Quinoa 250 gr of pork meat (I used a very thick bacon) 1 tblsp neutral oil 2 eggs 1/2 paprika Scallions Soya sauce  Omelette in the making  Cook the quinoa following pack instructions and leave to cool. I use fond instead of water cause this make the quinoa taste even better. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper and make an omelette. Cut it in 1 cm stripes. In a wok, pour in the oil and pork and fry until golden. Remove the pork and the paprika and scallions and fry on a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the moisture starts to evaporate, then add 3 tbsp soya sauce. Leave to fry for 1 min more. Add the quinoa and stir. You can add more soy sauce to the mix. incorporate the pork and omelette stripes. Serve in a big plate. You can use sausages or chicken instead of pork and if you feel wild, some shrimps and Enjoy!   Chicha Ceviche In Peru, Chicha is a kind of music or a purple corn lemonade. In Berlin, is one of the best peruvian restaurants in Europe. The newly open Chicha restaurant in Kreuzköln is already in my "faves list", not only because I can eat my favorite snack in the world, but the food and cocktails are amazing and well done.  The menu starts with different kinds of ceviche, oysters and causa, though ceviche doesn't take over it. I ordered "Yuquitas" and Ailine got the "Chicha Ceviche" than in my opinion is the most traditional ceviche I had outside of Peru. The Yuquitas are mashed Cassava filled with cheese and deep-fried served with Hauncaina sauce.  Yuquitas with Huancaina Sauce  My childhood Drink: Chicha. Purple Corn Limonade The portions are huge in this place. So be prepared to eat a lot. Dare and try the Beef Heart or instead of wine get a pisco cocktail. The service was great and the people working there are very friendly. Be sure to make a reservation. They were pretty full even for a Wednesday. Otherwise, you can do like we did: Sit in the bar and try some cocktails until you get a table.  Anticucho Corazón - Beef Heart in spears with chimichurri  Arroz Chaufa - Chinese Peruvian fusion 
Two weeks ago we had some smashing friends over for dinner and we made them an almost complete Peruvian meal. We say almost because the first dish was a Croque Monsieur. We simply could not resist to use the Handwerk sourdough bread for something. The dessert , mango pie, we already posted a while back, and now we give you the recipe for the main dish of the evening; Lomo Saltado.
We served a Croque Monsieur for starter to our lovely guests
Ingredients
Satisfies six hungry wolfs 900 g beef tenderloin 1,5 tbsp aji amarillo chili paste 5 cloves of garlic 2 red onions 3 tomatoes 1 tsp ground pepper 5 spring onions (optional) 2 tbsp neutral oil a bit of flour fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 300 ml soy sauce 50 ml regular vinegar 1/2 tbsp cumin beef broth 3 bananas 7,5 dl (3 cups) rice 
We found this huge piece of tenderloin at Anni's Pølsemakeri at Mathallen
Slice the meat in approximately 3x1 cm long strips. Season with salt, three finely chopped garlic cloves, cumin and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Leave it for at least 5 minutes or up to an hour. Cut the onions and tomatoes in big chunks. You can remove some of the water and seeds from the tomatoes.
In a blender or using stab mixer; add two cloves of garlic and some neutral oil. Blend until it becomes a paste. Add 7,5 dl (3 cups) of rice and 1 liter (4 cups) of water to a pot. Add the garlic paste, some neutral oil, salt and pepper and let it boil. Once it's boiling turn the heat down to minimum, place a lid on it and let it cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the meat to keep the juices while frying. Heat a pan or wok with oil just to the point where it starts smoking. Fry the meat until golden, which should take about 1 minute, remove from the pan and cover with aluminum foil.
Fry the onion, tomatoes and ají amarillo chili paste with more oil in the same pan. When the onion is transparent, return the tenderloin to the pan. Add soya, vinegar and beef broth until desired consistency and juiciness. Add chopped parsley and remove from heat. 
Remove lid from the rice and stir with a fork to make sure it doesn't stick together too much. Cut the bananas in halves and fry until golden. Plate with rice, then meat and cover with the bananas. Decorate with more chopped parsley.
Potatoes were made with goose fat like in our previous recipe with entrecôte
We also made canchitas, the Peruvian un-popped popcorn
We had some awesome guests over this Saturday, and made them food and cocktails. The theme of the evening was partly Peruvian, including this mango pie for dessert.
This recipe has a history. The neighbor of my aunt back in Peru always asked my aunt for recipes. My aunt would always get slightly incorrect ones in return, because the neighbor wanted to prevent her from copying. The mango pie recipe, however, she would never give away to my aunt, and always made excuses to why. One day while the neighbor was gone, my aunt went over to her house, tricked the maid to let her in and stole the mango pie recipe. She gave the recipe to everyone in order to teach the neighbor to share. My mom got it too and it quickly became my dad's favorite. Mango pie was made every birthday of his from then on. And now, the recipe has made its way to you. 
Ingredients
1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 cans of mango 4 egg yolks 4 egg whites 4 limes 2 gelatin plates 
Heat the oven to 170 degrees C.
Whisk the egg yolks until they get a creamy consistency and continue to mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Squeeze the lime juice over and stir until incorporated. Whisk the egg whites to firm snow peaks, and fold them into the batter. Butter the oven-proof molds and pour in the egg mix. Bake until the batter is solid, about 15-20 minutes. Allow it to cool down. 
Leave the gelatin in cold water for 5-7 mins. Warm the syrup from the canned mangos in a pot. Squeeze the gelatin plates free from water and mix them into the warm syrup until dissolved.
Cut the canned mangos in small cubes. Place half of them over the egg base, and add the other half to the syrup. Fill the glasses with the syrup mix on top. Cool again and serve when it's cold. 
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AuthorsI am Andrea, or as my friends call me, Jinx. I am a foodie living in Berlin, eating my way through life. Here are my recipes, cooking events, dining experiences and more... |
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