Homemade Ají Amarillo Paste

Name: Homemade Ají Amarillo Paste
Yield: about ¾ cup (180 ml)
Cuisine: Peru
Ingredients: 10 ají amarillo peppers, frozen and thawed, or fresh; 27–40 g neutral oil, plus more to cover; ½ tsp salt; water, as needed

Also called ají amarillo paste, aji amarillo paste, yellow chile paste, ají mirasol paste

The bright, fruity, golden Peruvian chile paste behind ají de gallina, huancaína and ají amarillo sauces.

Makes: about ¾ cup (180 ml)

Vegan Vegetarian Gluten-free Make ahead Freezes well

Ingredients

Scale

Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.

10ají amarillo peppers, frozen and thawed, or fresh
27–40 g2–3 tbspneutral oil, plus more to cover
½ tspsalt
water, as needed

Method

Cut the stems off the ají amarillo peppers (10), split them lengthwise, and scrape out all the seeds and white veins.
Blanch three times. Cover with water, boil 2 to 3 minutes and drain; repeat twice more with fresh water. This standard Peruvian step tames the heat and any bitterness while keeping the fruitiness.
Peel off the thin skins, which slip off easily after blanching.
Blend with the neutral oil (27–40 g2–3 tbsp) and salt (½ tsp) until completely smooth, adding a splash of water if needed to get it moving.
Store in a jar with a thin layer of oil on top, up to 1 week in the fridge, or freeze in an ice cube tray for months.

Notes

Finding the peppers. Frozen whole ají amarillo is sold in Latin and Peruvian markets; fresh is rare in the US.
Wear gloves when seeding; the heat lingers on your hands.
Dried ají mirasol. Ají mirasol is sun-dried ají amarillo. Seed 6 to 8 peppers, toast lightly in a dry pan, soak in hot water 20 to 30 minutes, then blend with the oil, salt and a little soaking water. Earthier and smokier than fresh; great in cooked dishes like ají de gallina, less right in fresh sauces.
No ají peppers. Roast 1 orange bell pepper and 1 seeded habanero or Fresno chile until blistered, peel, and blend with a pinch of turmeric, a squeeze of lime and a little oil. It gets the color, fruit and heat roughly right but won't taste quite the same.
Store-bought. Jarred paste (Goya, Inca's Food, Zócalo) keeps for months in the fridge once opened.

Used in Ají de Gallina (Peruvian Creamy Chile Chicken), Sweet Fried Plantains with Ají Amarillo Sauce