There is nothing new about a hot dog, but in Ecuador and Peru, hot dogs get a face lift with salchipapas, fried hot dog slices and french fries.
Walking along the streets of Ecuador or Peru, one is sure to come across salchipapas, the Latin American answer to fast food. The concept is simple: fried hot dog slices and french fries, but the dish crosses socio-economic borders, and is popular not only for its economical value (in Ecuador, an order of salchipapas costs from US$1 - $1.25) but also its availability (not to mention the taste!). Young and old can be seen with plastic yellow bags in hand, filled with piping hot salchipapas and topped with a number of sauces, and sometimes even a fried egg. Not a healthy option by any means, but an economical, satisfying mini-meal for those on the go.
There are always concerns of hygiene and cleaniliness when eating street food, so it is important to buy from a street vendor who uses clean cooking oil, as some will recycle the cooking oil for days, or even weeks, at a time. Luckily, this dish can easily be made at home. It uses few ingredients, is quick (5 minutes prep and 5-10 minutes frying), and requires almost no cooking skills. As always, anytime hot oil is involved, one must be careful. Do not let young children make this recipe without the help of an adult.
Ingredients:
- 2 hot dogs, cut in 2-inch segments
- 1-2 medium potatos
- 2 cups cooking oil
- salt
- 1 egg (optional)
Procedure
- Cut the potatoes into ½ inch-thick strips, as for French fries. Cut the ends of each hot dog segment in a cross, no more than ½ inch deep. (Once the hot dogs are fried, the cut ends will open and create a flower effect.)
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the potatoes and fry until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Add the cut hot dogs, and fry until the cut ends open, about 2-3 minutes. Let drain.
- Place on top of the fries. Add a fried egg (optional) and salt to taste.
Accompanying sauces
Salchipapas wouldn’t be the same without the traditional sauces that go with it. Salsa rosada (pink sauce, known in English as golf sauce) and salsa amarilla (yellow sauce) are the two most popular, but other sauces like mayonnaise or ají (chili pepper sauce) are also common.
Salsa rosada
- 2 tbs. mayonnaise
- 1 tbs. ketchup
Mix the mayonnaise and ketchup until uniform in color.
Salsa amarilla
- 2 tbs. mayonnaise
- 3 tsp. mustard
Mix the mayonnaise and mustard until uniform in color.
Variation: Papicarne
Instead of topping the fries with fried hot dog slices, cook ¼ lb. patty of ground beef. Break it up into small pieces and add to the fries.
