Tiradito chifero. Diego Alcántara in Nazca
The paiche (pirarucu in Brazil, Arapaima gigas) is the giant of the Amazon basin. It can reach weights of up to 250 kilos and its meat is highly prized throughout the basin. This, combined with the fact that it has lungs that force it to surface to breathe, constitutes its main misfortune.
Diego Alcántara, who was one of the head chefs during the new phase of Astrid & Gastón in Lima, traveled to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the economic capital of Bolivia, where he joined the Hotel Los Tajibos, currently overseeing its culinary offerings. This recipe is from El Jardín de Asia, one of the hotel's three restaurants.
Ingredients for Chifa Tiradito
- 60 g of paiche fillet.
- 60 ml of tiger's milk.
- 12 g of chalaca chifera.
- 9g of fried wonton.
- 3 g of peanuts.
- 3 ml of sesame oil.
- 1 g of chives.
- 2 g of salt.
- 1 g of ginger.
Ingredients for tiger's milk
- 600 ml of lemon juice.
- 250 g of fish waste.
- 300 ml of fish stock.
- 50g of celery.
- 75g of red onion.
- 45 g of salt.
- 150 g of ice
- 10 g of aji changes.
- 10g of coriander stems.
- 20g of ginger.
Ingredients for pickled carrots and turnips
- 60g of peeled turnip, thinly sliced.
- 60g of peeled carrot, thinly sliced.
- 40g of white sugar.
- 50 ml of white vinegar.
Ingredients for the chalaca chifera
- 15g of chopped onion.
- 5 g of chopped chili pepper.
- 2 g of cilantro.
- 20g of pickled carrot and turnip.
- 1 lemon.
- Shall.
Making tiger's milk
- Place all ingredients in a blender, except for the cilantro and the ají cambita pepper. Blend well and adjust the salt.
- Adjust seasoning, add the chili pepper and cilantro, blend intermittently about 3 times, taste for seasoning, and strain. Add ice and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preparation of pickled carrots and turnips
- Cut the turnip and carrot into a bowl.
- Place the sugar and vinegar in a pan and heat over low heat (be careful not to let it boil). Once the sugar has dissolved, pour it over the turnip and carrot.
- Let it pickle, cool, and store it in the refrigerator.
Preparation of the chalaca chifera
- Chop the pickles, place them in a bowl along with the chopped onion, chopped chili pepper, and cilantro. Mix well, season with salt, taste for seasoning, add a little pickling liquid and lemon juice.
Preparation and plating of the Chifa-style tiradito
- Slice the paiche, season the fish with salt and ginger juice. Mix the leche de tigre with the pickling liquid.
- Arrange the folded paiche slices at the base of the plate, drizzle with the leche de tigre, and spread the chifera chalaca on top.
- Garnish with peanuts, scallions, fried wontons, and sesame oil.