Today, we are doing something different on Chewing happiness, this post is going to be about our visit to a Peruvian business located in Great Neck, Long Island, NY.
Now before I go further what went down in my visit, I want provide some information:
– Is this a paid advertisement/promo?
No, I contated the owner and asked for permission to film my visit, they accepted and they were also eager to answer some of my questions, the information presented in this post are my real thoughts about Inka Fé bakery.
– If you are not getting paid what do Chewing Happiness get from this?
As, I mentioned in a previous post (click here to read it), I want to help other business too, it is rewarding to hear so many stories of different people. there is always a struggle in running a business in general, a restaurant is no different, I think this stories are worth telling, in exchange of them getting some exposure I get a different kind of content for Chewing Happiness.
– If I run a Peruvian restaurant/bakery how can I contact you?
if you want to partner with Chewing Happiness or explore other business oportunities, you can contact us at Chewinghappiness@gmail.com
Now let’s talk about the bakery, Inka Fé is located at 178 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY 11021
this woman-owned business has indoor and outdoor seatings.
I can say it is a family business, at the time of my visit, the restaurant had only few weeks from opening.
what impressed me the most was the customers, most of the people of the area just got in to ask about the food and what kind of sweets the busines sells. During my visit I saw at least 10 different customers in a short period of time curious to know what this bakery was selling.
The food looked really apealing, I was able to get inside the kitchen, I saw the hard working team there, I was also able to do a short interview to the owner where I learned that her venture as a business owner started with the Alfajores (see our recipe here), that she referes to “Crack cookies” ‘cuz they are addictive and the caster sugar on top of the Alfajores resembles the “famous powder”. With the help of her mom, she baked these little treats at a young age in order to create an extra income for her family, and since there she hasn’t stop baking, years later that would lead to the opening her bakery, Inka Fé.
Other sweets that caught my eye were there “Torta Helada” This dessert, in particular, takes time and patience, and I have to admit I lack the last one.
Now the restaurant not only provides sweets, it offers a short but interesting menu also, I want to point out that one thing that is worth telling is that the dishes are “traditional” Peruvian dishes, nothing luxurious, just home made food that you would get back at home in Peru, but with a twist plated in a nice way. It is worth mentioning this, since most restaurants try to include different dishes from other cuisines even tho they sell themselves as Peruvian restaurants. I am not saying there is something wrong with that, however, in my experience, it is better to cater to certain types of customers rather than to please everyone.
I included one of the photos of the dishes I tried in my visit, Lomo Saltado (check our recipe here), is one of those dishes that is a must in a Peruvian restaurant menu, the meat was juicy and I had access to the kitchen where I contemplated how the Chef was preparing my food, I had to say, I enjoyed my visit, the food was good, the sweets were freshly baked, at lunch time arround (noon) you might find the restaurant packed, a common thing is most Peruvian restaurants.
I want to finish this post with a short video of the interview, if you visited this restaurant, share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Hello lovely readers , today I am sharing with you my recipe of “Aguadito de Pollo” , this is a soup that many people eat during winter, perfect for cold days I is really easy to prepare so you can cook this dish on a flash! Some tools/Ingredients I used , will be at the bottom of the post Aguadito de Pollo| Servings: 4 Ingredients : Steps : Submerge your cilantro leaves(discard stems) in boiling water for 45 secconds then drain and process. In a hot pot add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil , brown your chicken (about 2 min per side then reserve) In the same pot add onions, garlic , ají amarillo paste and let them cook for at least 5 min after that add chicken , rice , potatoes, chicken broth and cilantro , put a lid on it and let it cook for at least 12 min. After 12 min passed , add corn , green peas, carrots , 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt and pepper , put the lid back and let it cook for another 5 min , when rice the rice its cooked the dish is good to go. That is it guys simple and delicious soup that will warm your body on the winter. Stuff used on this recipe:
Hello Lovely Readers , on this opportunity I will share with you my recipe of Hummus, really simple dish that goes great with crackers or bread , actually goes well with everything. Remember some of the ingredients & tools I use would be at the bottom of the page! Home made Hummus | 350 gr Ingredients : This recipe is really simple we blend all our ingredients to form a sauce and thats it, always use boiled chickpea never used canned flavor its 100% better with boiled chickpeas. Steps: Add sesame seeds and oil and water into a food processor or blender, blend Then add your other ingredients, and blend again The put it on a bowl and enjoy with what a Salad, Toast or plain! This is a healthy snack you can make when you have a party. also perfect sauce for your veggies, and thats it guys, comment what do you eat your Hummus with? Some items I used on the recipe:
Hello lovely readers , today I will share with you my recipe of Puca Picante, this dish is from the region of Ayacucho is a really famous dish on that region and can be found in some restaurants in Lima, The English translation for this dish would be “Spicy Red” , good thing is that you can make this dish as spicy as you want , but it is a great dish for the ones that love the heat! Some tools/Ingredients I used , will be at the bottom of the post Puca Picante | Servings: 4 Steps : In a Pot add the pork belly , it does not need oil , let the belly cook in their own juices , add 2 cups of water let it boil and let the water reduce until is gone , that can take about 10 min or so once, it has no water you can let it roast a bit(let the skin get some color) like 3 more min then reserve. In the same pot add (1 tbsp of oil if needed) , onions , garlic, ají panca paste, the beetroot and let it cook for at least 7 min or so. Once its cooked add it to a blender with 1 cup of chicken or water broth , peanuts process and return the mix to the pot. Add pork , potatoes , hierba buena , cumin , achiote , tablespoon of salt and cover it with chicken broth put a lid on it and let it boil for at least 10 min or so , the blended peanuts and potatoes will thick the dish and give it like a sauce texture. You can add more salt (if needed) a pinch of pepper, if you want to make your dish more spicy you can add more tablespoons of “Ají Panca Paste” 2 should be spicy and 3 should be really spicy but that is up to you. Hope you enjoy this recipe guys, try it at home , I know you will not regret it. Tools I used on this recipe
Chupe de Camarones, Peruvian style shrimp soup, has a thick texture, has some sweet, spicy, flavors.
Peruvian style stuffed peppers (Peppers stuffed with Ají de Gallina)
Hey guys today we bring you something really tasty and easy to prepare we are talking about Peruvian food , Peruvian in this case “Milanesa” is kind of a super thin chicken Burger, it’s kinda crunchy outside and soft inside, it’s perfect to eat with a sandwich or any dish, in Peru we eat it with many dishes (with Mushed Potatoes, Fries and salad , Pesto spaghetti, just to mention some). Would you like to try it? If so, let’s start! Remember most of the ingredients and tools I use would be on the bottom so you can get them too! Peruvian “Milanesa” | Servings 4 Ingredients: As you can see ingredients aren’t that hard to get probably most of them you have them in your kitchen already, if you have chicken breasts , you can get the texture like grounded with the help of your knife and a meat tenderizer hammer, so let’s start cooking! Instructions: With the help of a food processor , process all the ingredients except the chicken. Process until you get like a crumbled bread texture Mix and integrate the Chicken with the crumbled mix Once is all integrated make like a big Pattie and cut into four peices Flatten all the patties with you hand really thin Get your pan ready in medium/high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil , we don’t want it too hot so be careful with the heat and Cook it for 3 minutes each side Repeat steps for the other ones, and enjoy em! Some tips: Remember to add some oil once you finish your pattie if you are cooking all at the same time use 1 tablespoon per pattie. it’s better to cook once at the time , in that way they won’t get burned. You can freeze them and they will last for 3 days You can comment on this post , I will be pleased to help you Woud you like to see more Peruvian recipes? I hope so! Some tools I used on this recipe: