This is the quintessential Peruvian sauce, originally the main ingredient of papa a la huancaína (Huancayo-style potato), but nowadays used as a sauce to serve alongside pretty much anything. I like to serve it with cassava chips, made by boiling frozen cassava and then frying it in butter.
The original recipe has the following ingredients: ají amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli), queso fresco (Peruvian feta cheese), evaporated milk and soda crackers. I used to sautée the chillies with onion and garlic but this is optional. I now omit the crackers to make it gluten-free and lower carb and use ají amarillo paste because I can’t find fresh ones in Sydney. Also, Australian feta is closer in flavour to its Peruvian cousin than the Greek or Danish varieties.
Simple huancaína sauce
Ingredients
- 200 g Australian feta
- 1/2 cup cooking cream
- 1 tsp ají amarillo paste
To serve – any or all of the following:
- boiled potatoes
- boiled and fried cassava
- Peruvian corn kernels threaded in toothpicks
Instructions
- Blend all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor to your desired level of chunkiness.
- Serve with starchy things to dip in sauce.
Want more Peruvian recipes? Check out the e-cookbook below!
Peruvian recipes from abroad
This e-book contains my favourite Peruvian recipes developed from the point of view of an expat who learned to find her way with the ingredients that were available in her new home.
This website is for educational and informational purposes only. Click here if you need personalised nutrition advice.