A cherished plate of carby deliciousness

The dish

Arroz con pato, Peru

Arroz con pato – a cherished plate of carby deliciousness that translates simply as “rice with duck”.Credit: iStock

Plate up

Has there ever been a dish that so clearly tells a story of migrant history like Peruvian “arroz con pato”? The translation for this cherished plate of carby deliciousness is simply “rice with duck”, and that’s what you can expect to find served at any restaurant in northern Peru. Long-grain rice is stir-fried in much the same way a Cantonese fried rice would be, though this time with the addition of plenty of minced coriander to give it a healthy emerald glow, plus Peruvian “aji Amarillo”, a native yellow pepper, with peas and local pumpkin thrown into the mix, plus some dark beer. That pile of fried rice is then topped with a duck Maryland that has usually been confited – slow-cooked in oil – or marinated in garlic and vinegar, and fried until crispy-skinned. Served with “salsa criolla”, a spicy sauce, plus a wedge of lime and another cold, dark beer for drinking, you have Peru on a plate.

First serve

You’ve probably guessed that there’s a strong history of Chinese migration into Peru. Around the early 19th century, waves of contract labourers, largely from the Guangdong area of southern China, made the trip across the Pacific to work on sugar plantations in Peru. Those migrants left a strong culinary mark, to the point where there is a whole Peruvian-Chinese cuisine now called “chifa”. By 1860, the poet Prospero Pereyra Gamba had already written about a dish called “arroz con pato”, invented in the northern city of Chiclayo, using Cantonese-style fried rice with a few distinctive local ingredients, plus European-style confit duck. And a legend was born.

Order there

In Chiclayo, a short flight north of Lima, try classic arroz con pato at Fiesta Restaurant (restaurantfiestagourmet.com).

Order here

Sydneysiders can sample this classic dish at Warike in Surry Hills (warikerestaurant.com). In Melbourne, try Peruvian cuisine at Inti Gourmet (instagram.com/intigourmet). And in Brisbane, keep an eye out for food truck Rojo y Blanco (instagram.com/rojoyblancofood).

One more thing

When you’re in Peru, watch out for some tasty variations on this dish: arroz con pollo, or rice with chicken; and arroz con mariscos, which is rice with seafood, with all those classic Peruvian flavours.