Aji Criollo (Peruvian Chili Sauce)

Name: Aji Criollo (Peruvian Chili Sauce)
Prep time: 80 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients: aji amarillo peppers 5 piece; medium red onion 1 piece; garlic 2 clove; vegetable oil 1 tbsp; lime, juice only 1 piece; salt 0.25 tsp; ground black pepper 0.125 tsp; coriander 1 sprig; water for texture, as needed 30 ml

Quick answer

Total time: 90 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Peru and Ecuador both have a sauce called aji criollo; this Peruvian one cooks aji amarillo with onion and garlic until soft, then blends it, while the Ecuadorian version uses raw chili.

Softened peppers leave fewer tough skin flecks in the blender, and water is added only when the blade stalls, keeping the sauce thick enough to spoon onto food. Cilantro gets chopped and stirred in at the end instead of blended, leaving green flecks visible through the sauce. Swapping in another chili changes both the yellow color and the heat. This version contains no milk or mayonnaise.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

aji amarillo peppers5 piece

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medium red onion1 piece

garlic2 clove

lime, juice only1 piece

coriander1 sprig

water for texture, as needed

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Instructions

5 steps

1

Wash and stem the five aji amarillo peppers.

Split them, remove seeds and membranes and slice thinly. Finely chop the red onion and garlic.
2

Warm 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.

Stir-fry the onion and garlic until the onion turns translucent and the garlic is lightly colored.
3

Add the peppers and cook for about 5 more minutes until soft.

Remove from heat and let the steam subside.
4

Juice the lime. Blend the cooked mixture with lime juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

Add small amounts from the 30 ml water only as needed, keeping the sauce spoonable.
5

Finely chop the coriander leaves and stir them into the sauce.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve in a condiment bowl.