Aji Amarillo Paste

March 23, 2010

Aji Amarillo Paste - kvalifood.com

Aji amarillo paste is a foundational Peruvian ingredient, not a finished sauce. It goes into aji de gallina, causa, papa a la huancaina, and dozens of other dishes. The paste is simply blanched, peeled aji amarillo peppers blended with a small amount of liquid.

Makes ca. 200 ml paste

Ingredients

500 g fresh aji amarillo peppers (or frozen, thawed), about 12-15 peppers
1-2 tbsp water (or neutral vegetable oil), for blending
1 pinch salt (optional)

Directions

Wearing gloves, cut each pepper in half lengthwise. Remove and discard stems, seeds, and white veins.
Place cleaned peppers in a pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes until skins loosen.
Drain and let cool until comfortable to handle.
Peel off the skins.
Transfer peeled peppers to a blender. Add 1-2 tbsp water or oil. Blend until smooth.
Add salt if desired.

Notes

For a milder paste, repeat the blanching up to 3 times with fresh water each time.
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. Freeze in ice cube trays for up to a year.
Frozen peppers work fine. Thaw before proceeding.
This is a base ingredient, not a finished condiment.