Huancaina Sauce I

Huancaina Sauce is one of Peru’s darling recipes. This particular version is the one I make at home (and my favorite!), but each Peruvian cook claims to have “the best” recipe for it. The sauce is part of a dish called Papa a la Huancaína (potato with Huancaína sauce), but people love it so much that it’s used in several other concoctions. If you buy (or make) ají amarillo paste, it’s really easy to prepare and will be ready in the blink of an eye.  If you are lucky enough to have fresh ají amarillo,you can learn how to make the paste for this sauce here . Otherwise buy it processed or frozen online or in any grocery store that carries Latin American ingredients.

This recipe is very easy and flexible, so if you can’t find one of the ingredients, don’t sweat the small stuff and find a creative way to replace it. For example, I have friends that use cream cheese, cottage cheese or even Feta instead of queso fresco. Or Half & Half instead evaporated milk. Whichever way you make it, you can be sure it will be absolutely delicious. What’s not to like about a creamy combination of cheese and chili peppers?

To make it:

1. Put the aji amarillo paste in the blender.

2. Add the evaporated milk and process until smooth.

3. Add the queso fresco, soda crackers, and salt. Process until smooth.

Serve this Huancaina Sauce over pasta, risotto, or potatoes, as a dip for quail eggs, fried yucca, tequeños, potato or tortilla chips, or pour it over some rice with chicken, or any other recipe that you feel would be enhanced by it.