TIP OF THE DAY: Ají Sauce

September 13, 2014 at 8:30 am · Filed under Condiments, International Foods, Recipes, Sauces-Rubs-Marinades

Hot sauce lovers should take a closer look at ají sauce, a standard in Ecuador and Peru. Aji amarillo is one of the most common types of chiles in the area, and is also one of the most important ingredients in the two countries.

While, like all salsas, there are as many variations as there are cooks, a basic ají criollo is made from the ají amarillo (yellow ají*), along with cilantro, garlic, onion and lime.

Each region and city has its own unique recipe. For example, ají de tomate de árbol—tree tomato or tamarillo ají—uses tamarillo as well as ají amarillo. (A recipe is below.)

Andrés Dávila, executive chef of Casa Gangotena, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top Ten Hotel, offers tourists a journey through the different types of ají, with a selection of six sauces carefully paired with a dish that heightens the flavors of the local cuisine. He’s also sent us a standard recipe so you can make your own.

Great for sauces and to kick up any meal with a great flavor and medium heat. Chewing on the chiles adds more heat.

Ají mixed with passion fruit, which colors the sauce a spectacular yellow, goes well paired with chicken or pork.

Ají with sambo squash seeds, a light green cream with a subtle smell and taste that goes well with white meats.

Ají amarillo, in shades of yellow and orange. Photo courtesy PeruDelights.com.

Manaba-style pickled ají, flavored and colored with carrots, is the perfect accompaniment to fish.

Orange ají is made with tree tomato (tamarillo) and chochos (lupines).

Purple ají, colored with beets, has a complex layering of fruit vinegar, grated carrots and pickle slices, goes well with both seafood and red meats.

PICK UP A JAR OF AJÍ AMARILLO (YELLOW AJÍ) PASTE

You can probably find a jar of ají paste in the Latin foods section of your supermarket. Goya makes it, of course, and you can find specialty brands such as Costa Peruana and Inca’s Food online.

Aji paste is simply a purée of fresh ajis. “American fusion” uses include:

Mix a tablespoon with a cup of Alfredo or other white sauce, red sauce or brown sauce or gravy.

Add to soup (including chicken soup).

Add to a ceviche marinade.

Mix into condiments to add flavor and heat.

*While ají is Spanish for chile pepper and amarillo means yellow, the color changes to orange as the chiles mature. You can see the deepening colors in the photo above.

Add bold flavor to many dishes with ají
amarillo (yellow chile) paste. Photo courtesy
Inca’s Food.

RECIPE: HOMEMADE AJÍ SAUCE

This classic ají sauce combines tree tomato (tamarillo), ají amarillo and chochos (lupines, or lupin beans). Lupins are a large yellow Italian bean. You can substitute lima beans or fava beans for the lupins.

Ingredients

4-5 tomatillos

2 ajís (you can substitute serranos or other red chilies, or yellow habaneros for extra heat)

2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

¼ cup water

Salt to taste

Optional: cooked and peeled chochos (lupin beans)

Preparation

1. PEEL the tomatillos and boil them for 5 minutes.

2. BLEND the tomatillos with ají chiles. For a milder sauce, seed and devein the chiles. You can always save a few seeds and add them in if it’s too mild.

3. TRANSFER the mix to a small sauce pan, add the water (you can add more if you want a more liquid sauce) and cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes. You can also skip the cooking part; the sauce will be fresher in taste, but will need to be consumed more quickly.

4. ADD the onion, lime juice, cilantro, optional chochos and salt to taste. Serve warm or cold.

VARIATION: Replace the water with oil (avocado, light olive oil or a mild flavored oil) for a creamier Cuencano-style ají, and do not cook it after blending.

Recipe courtesy Laylita.com.

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