Peruvian Night at Cumbia Kitchen
HELEN GROVES
It’s good to back at Hastings Independent after a very busy few months for me. As the weather was still unseasonably glorious last Friday, we grabbed the last table at Cumbia Kitchen for their Peruvian Night meal. We certainly didn’t regret it: it was an absolute explosion of flavour – in seven courses.
We were welcomed with a Pisco Sour and ‘Mussel a la Chaleca’, an amuse bouche of mussels with corn salsa. Then ‘Tiradito’, a Peruvian sashimi with a zingy pineapple hot sauce. The soup course, ‘Lawa de Choclo’ was a bit like a chowder with broad beans: hearty yet subtle. After that was my favourite – the Ceviche: local fish marinated in ‘leche de tigre’ a complex citrus-based marinade.
All this was followed by a palate cleanser: a cremolada (sorbet) made from Soursop – a superfruit which boosts the immune system, and which was new to me; like a hybrid of apple and strawberry with a bit of lime thrown in – it looks like a prickly avocado.
By this time I was getting pretty full, but there were still two courses to go! ‘Chorrillana Tacu Tacu’, which consisted of rice and bean cakes with tempeh for us (or chicken for meat-eaters) with a tangy yellow chilli sauce.
Finally, an insane pudding called ‘Suspiro Limeño’ (The sigh of a Lima lady) made from dulce de leche and meringue infused with port. It is very creamy and incredibly sweet and rich, but somehow, I managed to eat it all!
Suspiro Limeña
If you want to experience an authentic taste of Peru at home, try this delicious dessert recipe.
You will need:
- 1 can evaporated milk (340g)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (296g)
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Alternatively, you could cheat and use a can of caramel, but it won’t be the same!
- For The meringue
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons port
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method:
- Place the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk into a large, shallow pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until it starts to caramelise. Then turn off the heat and measure out ¼ cup of the mixture.
- Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk them. As you do so, pour in the ¼ cup of milk mixture, a little at a time.
- Pour the milk/egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk and add the vanilla extract. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until thick.
- Transfer the mixture into individual glasses, filling only half way.
- For The meringue
- In a small pan, over a low heat, boil the sugar and port for 3 minutes to make a syrup; then set aside.
- Put the egg whites in a clean bowl and whip them in a food mixer until white and fluffy. With the mixer still on, slowly add the port syrup. Beat again until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.
- Fill a piping bag with the meringue and pipe over the dulce de leche.
- Once assembled, sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Jackie at Cumbia Kitchen always puts on a brilliant night – the food was delicious and authentic, the atmosphere was buzzing and the staff excellent. Here is a list of events coming up:
Friday 27 October: ‘Dia de Los Difuntos’ another opportunity to try the Peruvian menu and join in the Day of the Dead celebrations.
Friday 3 November: seven-course Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) Tasting Menu which reflects the strong influence that Japanese immigrants have had on Peruvian cuisine.
3, 10, 17 December: Christmas Sunday Lunch – a chance to try an alternative South American Christmas Menu.
14 and 21 December: Vegan Christmas dinner
31 December: a New Year’s Eve Celebration with Colombian NYE traditions and a nine-course tasting menu, hosted by Cumbia and Marlyn Lopez.
There’s also a Christmas Tapas Menu available for Private Christmas Parties throughout December.
Please look on the website or social media for more details:
cumbiakitchen.com Instagram @cumbia_kitchen
Helen Groves www.food-comes-first.com
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply