Mushroom Saltado & Arepas with Siembra
Time: 45 minutes
From the crispy, golden arepas to the savory roasted mushrooms tossed in a tangy saltado sauce, each bite tells a story of cultural richness and culinary creativity. Whether enjoyed as a hearty breakfast or a satisfying dinner, this dish is sure to delight your taste buds and transport you to the bustling streets of Colombia, Peru, and the Pacific Northwest.
Ingredients
Arepa
Roasted Mushrooms & Vegetables
Saltado Sauce
Cooking Instructions
*Preheat oven to 425°F
What you'll need: Baking sheet, Parchment paper Cutting Board, Knife, Whisk, Spoon &/or Spatula, Mixing bowls, Tortilla press or a flat-bottomed plate, Skillet or frying pan
1. Prepare the Mushrooms and Vegetables:
- Tear or cut the mushrooms in half, keeping the small ones whole.
- Cut onions into 1⁄2 inch slices.
- Mix well with olive oil, chili crisp, and spices in a bowl, coating onions and mushrooms in oil.
2. Roast the Vegetables:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add onions and mushrooms to the sheet, spacing them apart.
- Roast for about 18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
2. Make the Arepas:
- Add 3⁄4 cup of warm water to a bowl.
- Add masa flour, mix and knead until the dough is no longer sticky or lumpy.
- Add oil/butter and salt, continue kneading and mixing until incorporated.
- Form into balls, then flatten to 1⁄2 inch thick using parchment paper and a plate or a tortilla press.
- Cook arepas in a pan over medium heat with neutral oil for about 5 minutes per side until crispy on the outer edges.
- Remove from pan.
3. Prepare the Saltado Sauce:
Whisk all sauce ingredients in a bowl until well combined.4. Assemble the Dish:
Add roasted mushrooms and onions to the bowl with saltado sauce and mix well. Serve the flavorful mushroom saltado on top of the crispy arepas. Garnish with chopped scallions for an extra burst of freshness and color.
Home Cooked
From Issue 2, words & photos by Kade Krichko
Alex Dorros will always think of arepas as a comfort food. These corn griddle cakes are crispy, but soft in the middle, a day starter for people in Colombia and Venezuela. Nowadays, he and his mother, Sandra Marulan- da, maintain the tradition of making arepas as part of their Colombian and Peruvian pop-up, Siembra.
Each arepa is made from scratch utilizing ancient processes and dried corn sourced near their Seattle, Washington home. Alex says that cooking with corn in this way feels like an act of celebration and resistance in a world of mass-commodified crops, a thread that weaves its way through the Americas.
“There’s a mosaic of what people think is true to their origin, what is authentic to you,” explains Alex. “In the Pacific Northwest, that’s maintaining the flavors, but taking advantage of our biodiversity—connecting with food by getting closer to the root.”
Growing up in a Colombian household, Alex and Sandra were also inspired by the layers of flavor and history in Peruvian cuisine. Siembra’s journey has combined the two and added a Northwest twist. This mushroom saltado with abbreviated arepa recipe is a take on lomo saltado, a dish traditionally made with beef. It draws from Peru’s Chinese diaspora, part of the vast world of Chinese-Peruvian food known as Chifa. The texture of the roasted mushrooms in this dish is the perfect complement to the traditional saltado sauce and a tribute to new food stories.
Alex and Sandra, the hands and heart behind Siembra
