Andina: Every night is ladies night

Martin Morales makes a tribute to the picanterias at the heart of Peruvian cooking
Proper Peruvian: Ceviche will feature at Casita Andina alongside less familiar dishes
Ailis Brennan11 December 2017

Martin Morales of Ceviche fame has long been held up as London’s prime Peruvian food pioneer: little did we know that the real champion is Mamita Naty, Morales’ grandmother.

Naty is the “Andina” of Andina-fame, the name for the Andean women who open their homes as picanterias, serving up Peruvian comfort food “con mucha cariño” – with loving care.

Andina is a tribute to these eateries which form the big heart of Peruvian cooking. The grill offers up gutsy, warming flavours including a pan-fried secreto ibérico pork in a chancaca rocoto glaze, but at Andina, don’t forget the veg. The Andes provide fertile ground for a range of superfoods, care packets of which Morales grandmother would send to his home in Lima.

Quinoa, corn and mountain vegetables keep this menu fresh: look out for Kapchi de setas, a dish of braised seasonal wild mushrooms, with quinoa panca chilli and huacatay sauce, and for the “Ode to Corn” – a purple corn humita steamed dumpling served with choclo corn succotash, sweet kale pesto and a dusting of crushed cancha corn.

Remember, Andina is a picanteria and a Pisco bar: the Pisco Sour is a must-try, but if you like it hot, find Limo chilli-infused pisco in the Karay cocktail, as well as pomegranate liqueur and yuzu sake, an aromatic mix of ginger, lemongrass and pink peppercorns, all topped with ginger ale: perfect for putting the pizzazz in your pisco.

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