Huancaina Sauce

Have you ever tried a slightly spicy cheesy-dip that leaves a fresh powdery cheesy taste to your boiled potatoes? If you haven’t yet, then this is another masterpiece to try for that unique Peruvian taste that provokes another gustatory adventure.

“Huancaina Sauce” (more popularly known as “Papa a la Huancaina Sauce”) also comes handy in a pack of A la Cena’s or Provenzal’s 60 to 90 grams ready-to-mix sauce. One just needs to add evaporated or fresh milk to the mixture and voila!-- A mouth-watering highlight of a  boiled (yellow or white) potato dish could turn to be another sumptuously different experience.

“Papa” is a Spanish term for potato, thus the name Papa a la Huancaina ( Huancaina Potato). Since Peru is known to produce 10,000 varieties of potatoes, Peruvians must have mastered the art of picking the right potato dish to match it with a corresponding garnishing and sauce that creates a signature dish uniquely reflective of Peru as a whole- the essence of its culture and way of life fused in its unique culinary arts and taste.

What is Huancaina Sauce really made of? It is made from mixing fresh ingredients like aji amarillo (yellow pepper), fresh milk, feta cheese (ricotta or parmesan could be a substitute), a little salt and pepper, garlic and onion. The mixture has to reach a consistency of a yellowish thick and smooth sauce-- swirl it or swish it over the boiled sliced-potatoes to make an excellent dip.

One thing is for sure, whether your papas go with a home-made or ready-to-mix huancaina sauce, you are up for a fantastic taste to serve as a great appetizer or even a delectable full lunch. However you want it, buen provecho!

AJI MOLIDO

Whenever I think of Peruvian food ingredients, “aji” (pronounced: a-hee] will always be one of the top in my list. I have had almost five years of romance with the tangy taste of this uniquely Peruvian spice. The very first time I have tasted “Aji de Gallina,” I knew it was an instant love at first bite! It has a lingering delicate piquant taste that strongly complements the chicken center-piece of the recipe.

Aji has a potent flavor and adding this as an ingredient to your recipe must be used sparingly. The difference lies in its subtle kick that tastes spicy but is fairly tongue-friendly for someone who despise spicy grubs.

Sunny yellow in color and commercially packaged in tiny sachets “aji molido” (ground yellow pepper) is a miracle sauce that could transform your ordinary “ceviche” to a fresher and ambrosial delight. Aji is not your ordinary yellow pepper. The Peruvian aji molido could remarkably turn an ordinary dish to an exotic spell of a mystic taste of “the land of hidden treasures.”

One time I experimented to substitute aji molido with ground turmeric powder but the dish was not as scrumptious, hence I turned frustrated and my cravings for that original taste of “aji de gallina” became an obsession. It took me another two or three years to say “hola” again with a passionate longing to this mystic taste of aji molido. I swear that when it came back to my life these days, it was like a long-lost lover who returned to his waiting damsel.

And yes! My gustatory pleasure is on the high again these days.