More Cuy

Liz was only in Lima for two days but, of course, we had to take her to Señor Cuy!

Susana, Carlos, Willy, Juancho, Toya, Ceci, Betty, Liz

We arranged to go on Tuesday and were joined by other family members and friends. As I had already eaten there previously, I decided to opt for a combination of flavours that I had not yet tried.

After the obligatory pisco sour, I decided -on Juancho's recommendation- to start with the fiambre de jamón serrano, which was comprised of slices of ham from Huaraz (a region well-known for its hams) over potatoes and topped with salsa criolla. I was very happy that I took Juancho's advice with this dish.

Fiambre de jamón serrano


Papa a la huancaína

Knowing that I'd get to try it, I convinced Liz to order the papa a la huancaína. Papa a la huancaína is a dish developed in Huancayo which consists of potatoes smothered in an ají and cheese sauce, which has become a standard of Peruvian cuisine. At Señor Cuy the papa a la huancaína is prepared the old-fashioned way, in a mortar. This method of preparation gives the dish a thicker, richer consistency and allows the cheese to stand out more than when its is prepared with an electric blender as is more usual these days.

Uchu cuy cusqueño

For my main dish, I opted for the Uchu cuy cusqueño in which the guinea pig is fried and then simmered in spicy sauce of ají, cilantro and parsley in the style of Cusco, and served with potatoes and rice. The flesh was tender and the subsequent simmering had removed the oilyness that one can sometimes get when the guinea pig is simply fried.

I washed this down with a tall glass of chicha de jora, or Andean corn beer.




Jora is sprouted corn. The jora is boiled and then allowed to ferment in water, which sometimes includes spices such as cloves or cinnamon, or fruit such as pineapple. Chicha de jora is a traditional Andean drink which has been made for thousands of years. There are some bottled versions but they suck, and most chicha de jora is made artisanly, for which reason I rarely partake of it. Not having to worry about health issues here, I enjoyed every drop.

Picante de cuy huanuqueño

Liz, on my recommendation, selected a quarter of a guinea pig in the style of Huanuco. In this instance the guinea pig is simmered in a sauce of ají, peanuts, and green onions, and served with boiled potatoes which have been rolled in the sauce. Liz doesn't usually eat cuy, but she enjoyed this one, although having ordered only a quarter she did not get as much meat as she would have liked.



My uncle Willy, one of the owners of the restaurant, joined us for lunch. He had the Arequipa-style cuy chaqtado, which is served with white potatoes and salsa criolla. In this preparation the cuy is deep-fried until it is crispy and the bones crunchy.

Cuy chaqtado arequipeño

All in all, another memorable meal at a truly unique establishment.

¡Salud!

Señor Cuy
Av. Andrés Reyes Nº 144
San Isidro, Lima
441-6568
http://www.senorcuy.com

Señor Cuy

Susana, Willy, Nico, and Toya

Today we had the much-awaited opportunity to lunch at Señor Cuy, the restaurant started by Willy and Toya, my dad's brother and sister.

The restaurant is small and intimate, with a décor that was kept nicely simple, giving the space an open feel, yet managing to keep it cozy and warm. A really nice touch are the reproductions of Colonial era paintings of the Last Supper, done by Indian artists, depicting Jesus and the Apostles dining on guinea pigs. In the picture you can see one there, on a platter in front of Jesus, who being the guest of honor would of course get the best food.

My mom ordered the Ayacucho-style preparation, in which the guinea pig is boiled with aromatic herbs and then fried with a crust of crushed toasted corn kernels. It was served with potatoes and an onion relish.

I figured I'd save Ayacucho-style guinea pig for when I will actually be in Ayacucho, and ordered half a guinea pig Huancayo-style - the front half, so I'd get the head. My dad ordered the same, but only one-quarter of a guinea pig, as he had ordered some qapchi as a starter. Qapchi is an Ayacuchano dish made by mashing fresh cheese with herbs and ají (what chile peppers are called here).

Huancayo is a city in the central Andean department of Junín, and their cuy preparation is very similar to an Ayacuchano dish called puka picante. "Puka" means 'red' in Quechua, and "picante" is 'spicy' in Spanish. The guinea pig was fried and served bathed in a piquant peanut sauce flavored with ají and colored red with ají colorado. The meat was the tenderest cuy flesh I have ever tasted, while the skin and bones were pleasantly crunchy. Simply, awesome.

I washed it down with a glass of chicha de jora - native corn beer- which was a rare treat for me.

Nicolas ordered the "Mister Cuy", which is cooked broaster-style and accompanied by french-fried yellow potatoes and a green salad. Nico just tore that sucker up - except for the vegetables.

Susana, being too tender-hearted to try guinea pig, opted for a chicken milanesa, which came with potatoes and salad as well. She was particularly glad for the salad, for not only the guinea pigs used at Señor Cuy raised organically, but the lettuce used is grown hydroponically, and could thus be eaten without worry.

We finished off lunch with desserts. Nico and Susana had a mousse de algarrobina, which they both really liked.

I opted for a traditional confection made from pumpkin. It was really sweet -almost too sweet for my tooth, as most old-style Peruvian desserts tend to be- but tasty.

OK, I know I am biased, but the food was excellent. Easily the best guinea pig I have eaten.

Señor Cuy
Av. Andrés Reyes Nº 144
San Isidro, Lima
441-6568
http://www.senorcuy.com

Señor Cuy

My cousin Carla has forwarded a copy of a review of the restaurant newly-opened by her father, Willy, and our aunt Toya: Señor Cuy. Below is my own translation of the article:

Noble Rodent Shines in Countless Recipes Which Surprise the Palate

High-Class Guinea Pig
Cecilia Fernández Sívori

Those who have lived with the unequaled and always crispy guinea pig on the table will not be surprised that there are countless ways of preparing such a delicious meat, which little by little has taken hold of the palates of good diners, to the point that there are 24 bedrock recipes. A sort of guinea pig map which geographically places us in regional products and flavors in order to takes traveling through the different regions of our country.
Although it is true that the it’s the departmental clubs which are the obligatory stopping points on the route of good guinea pig, it is surprising to discover, in the very heart of San Isidro, a sort of gastronomic temple dedicated to the guinea pig.
There, this noble rodent is the king and it is in the kitchen where its flesh shows the reasons for its flavourfulness. We speak of no other restaurant than El Señor Cuy, which, taking a step forward, includes on its menu not only the guinea pig dishes we are familiar with, but also gourmet preparations, and even charming fusions which raise the product to competitive levels.

For All Tastes
Thus, one can try “Guinea Pig Like Back Home”, “Gourmet Guinea Pig”, and “Recipes of the Famous”, each with its distinguishing flavor, as the ingredients for the dishes are brought, sorted, and used strictly so as to provide each diner with the flavors they seek without traveling far.
The presentation of the “Guinea Pig Like Back Home” is as it is prepared in each of Peru’s departments, and with provincial variations. The most requested styles are those of Ancash, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Moquegua, Huanuco, and Arequipa.
The “Gourmet Guinea Pigs” are none other than Mr. Guinea Pig (battered and fried), Sénior Cuy (Catalan-style), Signore Cuy (with a marked Italian note), Monsieur Cuy (French through-and-through) and the very-Peruvian Señor Cuy, amongst others which fill the menu.
The “Recipes of the Famous” are ways of preparing them from renown institutions and individuals, such as Le Cordon Blue Peru, chefs “Cucho” La Rosa and Jacques Henry Benoit, among others.
Democratically, the diner may also contribute to the menu, as if one arrives and does not find the style that one remembers from one’s hometown, the chef is more than open to making note of the request and including it among the culinary offerings and --why not?--baptizing it with your name.
Another detail about Señor Cuy is the aim of giving new value to the tradition of eating this animal, whose flesh, besides being tasty, is decidedly low in fat and thus easy to digest.
Therefore, if you pop into this new gastronomic point you will also be able to view Colonial artworks, copies of which are to be found in dining room as a way tying art in with such an age-old product.
It is no longer necessary to leave Lima to sample traditional guinea-pig dishes. Now, the offerings are diverse and good place to visit lies in the very heart of San Isidro.

Not bad, eh? Naturally, I am dying to eat there. But how to decide which style to try?

Señor Cuy
Av. Andrés Reyes Nº 144
San Isidro, Lima
441-6568
http://www.senorcuy.com (built by Danny, by the way)

• Original Article in El Peruano