Peruvian Aji Sauce Recipes

AJI VERDE (SPICY PERUVIAN GREEN SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until the cilantro has broken into very tiny pieces and the sauce is green and mostly smooth (no matter how long you blend it, it will still have some texture to it).
• Taste, and adjust if necessary. This sauce is intentionally bold and spicy and I usually think it's just right as written. However, if the flavor is too overwhelming, blend in 1 tablespoon of olive oil while running the food processor. If it's not spicy enough, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds and blend again. If it doesn't have enough zip, add another tablespoon of lime juice and/or a pinch of salt.
• Aji verde keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week.

PERUVIAN AJI SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove the stems from your jalapenos. Using tongs, hold the peppers over a stove burner and rotate until roasted, about 1 minute. Delicious, but not necessary.
• Slam your head of lettuce down on the counter stem side down. Pull on the stem to remove the heart and discard. Rip the head of lettuce apart - don't be gentle!
• Place lettuce and one or two of the roasted jalapenos into a blender or large food processor. Blend on low speed until jalapenos are pleasantly ground up. Add the mayonnaise, and pulse until blended in. Gradually blend in bread cubes until you get a nice thick but still pourable consistency. If it gets too thick add more mayonnaise. Taste, and blend in more peppers if desired.
• Put in a squeeze bottle and serve with your favorite dishes, like Saltado de Pollo, or simply dip your bread in it.

PERUVIAN AJI-STYLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place romaine lettuce, cilantro, green onions, mayonnaise, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt, and black pepper into a blender; blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.

PERUVIAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, soy sauce, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, aji panca paste, mustard, cumin, pepper and salt.
• Add chicken halves, turning to coat them all over with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil.
• Roast until skin is golden and chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes (if using chicken parts, remove the breasts after 25 to 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let sit, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
• While chicken is roasting, make the sauce. In a blender, blend cilantro, jalapeños, feta, garlic, lime juice, oregano, salt, mustard, aji amarillo paste, honey, and cumin until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil until mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt or lime juice or both.
• Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce and lime wedges on the side.

PERUVIAN AJI SAUCE

Steps:

• Chop everything up as needed to fit into a blender.
• Remove the thick stems from the Cilantro and Parsley bunches. Cut the hard stem/hearts out of the romaine lettuce.
• Combine ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly until smooth. Add small amounts of water if it sticks and gets too thick to blend. It will be a bright teal to sea green in color when complete.
• Spread it on any kind of bread either by itself, or on top of butter, margarine or hydrolyzed vegetable oil spreads. It is very tasty and really wakes up bread or can be used as a dip with chips.
• Store up to a week in the refrigerator. This stuff is awesome but very perishable, so I would use it within 5 days.

AJI (PERUVIAN HOT SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a blender add the cilantro, oil, jalapenos and salt.
• Pulse, adding water as needed until it's well blended but not runny.