Habanero Aji photo by andyrosic

Face-Melting Aji

Peruvian style chile sauce that's been kicked into nuclear with Habanero and Serrano chiles. Great with steak, chicken, Latin foods, eggs and more.

"The flavors and the heat in this catch-all South American 'salsa' are fantastic."

- andyrosic

Cuisine: PeruvianMain Ingredient: Chiles

(5, 1) 100% would make again (reviews)

10 people want to try | 4 have favorited

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Recipe
Photos (1)
Nutrition
Notes

Ingredients

Ready in 45 minutes
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Original recipe makes 1 Serving

Verified by SunnyJF

6 habanero chiles; seeded

6 Serrano chiles; seeded

1/2 cupsweet onion; sectioned

1 medium, cloveGarlic

1/4 cupFresh Cilantro; coarsely chopped

1 smallAvocado

1/4 cupGreen onions; coarsely chopped

1 tablespoonRed wine vinegar

1 tablespoonFresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoonKosher Salt

1/4 teaspoonFreshly ground pepper

Face-Melting Aji Preparation

Combine chiles, sweet onion, garlic, cilantro, avocado and (optional) green onions in processor; puree until paste forms, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula several times.

Add vinegar and lemon and process until mixture is blended but some texture still remains.

If mixture is too thick to process, add a small amount of water to thin.

Transfer to small bowl. Stir in salt, pepper and more vinegar or lemon to taste, if desired. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Notes

Options

Most aji recipes call for jalapeño chiles, which are WAY milder. Habanero chiles are incredibly hot. To dial down the heat, you can use fewer habaneros, all serranos or even swap in some jalapeños.

N00bs

If you've never handled habanero chiles, then watch out! The heat rating on these bad boys is about 100x higher than a jalapeño. And it's the oil within the chili that can cause so much discomfort. I recommend wearing rubber gloves, using a non-porous cutting surface and even wearing eye protection. It sounds extreme, and it is because this cute little orange pepper packs a wallop.

Here's a helpful video on handling hot chiles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFOskl8KIoA