A Mi Manera, established in 2000, is a family-owned restaurant offering a collection of absolute must-try dishes when visiting Peru, as well as, an authentic cookery class rich in culture and history. Located just one block from Cusco’s main square, on the second floor of a beautiful colonial-era mansion you can learn the secret recipes of their most popular traditional dishes.
The open kitchen plan and contemporary interior design offer an intimate and elegant setting for cookery demonstrations and allow guests to see how their food is being prepared. The best way to experience Peruvian cuisine is, without a doubt, participating in their cooking class, offered between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm for groups of 1 to 6 participants.
We started off learning how to successfully make a pisco sour, an alcoholic cocktail of Peruvian origin that is typical of the cuisines from Chile and Peru. The drink’s name comes from pisco, which is its base liquor, and the cocktail term sour, in reference to sour citrus juice.
Porton Quebranta and Puro Bodega Peirano are two different types of Pisco that can be used to create this beverage.
Pisco Porton is made from a blend of Quebranta, Torontel and Albilla grapes. It’s a “mosto verde” pisco, which means that it’s distilled from grape juice that has not been completely fermented into alcohol. This is an expensive process, as it yields less pisco per batch, but it helps maintain the original essence of the grape. The recipe consists of the following:
3 ounces Pisco of your choice
1-ounce lemon
1-ounce of sugar water
1-ounce egg white
Next, we made a beverage called Chicha Morada, which originated in the Andean regions of Perú but is actually consumed at a national level. The base ingredient of the drink is a Peruvian variety of purple corn called culli or ckolli. It is abundantly grown and harvested along the Andes Mountains.
Chicha Morada: Purple corn, sugar syrup, lemon, and cinnamon reduction
Chicha Morada consists of purple corn that is boiled into water mixed with green apple, pineapple, and the following:
1-ounce lemon
2 ounces sugar
Cinnamon
Clove
Anise
After sipping on our Pisco Sours and Chicha Moradas we were ready to turn up the heat in the kitchen! We tied on our aprons and made our way back to the kitchen to meet the professional chefs we would be learning from. They were warm and welcoming and the experience as a whole was upbeat and fun. We danced around and sang to our favorite tunes that they allowed us to play on the restaurant’s main speakers.
The dishes we made were out of this world! It was hard to believe we actually took part in creating them, and we felt incredibly accomplished. Below we have provided you with a detailed description of exactly what we fixed up, but words and pictures don’t give justice to these savory dishes. You absolutely must try them yourself!
Ceviche De Trucha
Fresh lake trout marinated in lemon juice with coriander, onions, and a touch of chili pepper served with boiled sweet potatoes and toasted Andean corn
Lomo Saltado
Strips of beef stir-fried with onions, fresh tomatoes, yellow chili pepper, and a dash of soy sauce, served with rice and crispy French fries
Rocoto Relleno
A succulent homemade chili pepper soufflé stuffed with vegetables and beef served au gratin with creamy Andean cheese and accompanied with slices of potato
Thank you, A Mi Manera, for providing us with an unforgettable experience and giving us a taste of the best Peruvian cuisine around!
A Mi Manera Cooking Class
1-4 participants 100 USD
Highlights
- Warm and welcoming atmosphere
- Exquisite Peruvian cuisine
- Affordable
- Fun and upbeat
Challenges
- None
