Fundación:

Salsa a la Huancaína

Huancayo-Style Sauce

Huancaína sauce is a tangy puree of queso fresco (fresh farmer’s cheese), ají amarillo peppers, red onions, a little fresh or evaporated milk, and soda crackers to thicken everything up. The creamy dressing is generously poured over boiled potatoes, in a dish called papas a la huancaína (page 170). Today, the sauce has become so popular on its own that in Lima you can find premade batches at small markets and commercial packages at grocery stores to spoon on sandwiches like a flavored mayonnaise or whatever needs a tangy, creamy jolt of flavor. I drizzle huancaína sauce on Arroz con Pato (duck with green rice, page 154) and even on big bowls of rice and vegetables.

This is one case where using fresh or frozen ají amarillo peppers (both blanched) to make your own paste really makes a difference. The fresh or frozen peppers have a brighter flavor than the store-bought paste. If you can’t find them, use a little less ají amarillo store-bought paste. The sauce will still be very good. I’ve also made the sauce with fresh or frozen rocoto peppers. Look for good-quality block feta cheese or the more traditional queso fresco. (Most crumbled feta on the market is not worth eating. It’s so dry, it’s almost chalky.) If you have time, make the sauce at least a day before you plan to use it. The flavors really develop as the sauce ages.

• 10 soda crackers, such as saltines
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup olive oil, or more if needed
• ½ medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 3 to 4 tablespoons homemade ají amarillo paste (see page 34)
• 1 (3-ounce) block feta cheese or queso fresco, cut into small chunks (about ¾ cup)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1 Roughly crumble the crackers into a small bowl, pour the milk on top, and mix them together with your fingers or a fork. Set the crackers aside to soak while you make the rest of the sauce.

2 Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and heat for another minute, then stir in the onions and ají amarillo paste. Sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions begin to soften and are nicely browned along the edges, a good 5 minutes. If the heat from the peppers gets in the back of your throat as you cook them, you’re doing something right.

3 Puree the onion mixture in a blender on high speed until it has the consistency of a chunky salsa. If you have a small blender, be patient; it can take a while to get things going. (Add a little of the cracker-milk mixture, if needed.) Partially open the top of the blender (either remove the plastic window or cover the top with a kitchen towel) and, with the blender running, slowly pour in the cracker-milk mixture, then add the feta and salt. Keep the blender going until the sauce is very creamy, a good 30 seconds. The dressing should be very thick. Taste, and add more salt if needed (it should be on the salty side). Let cool completely and use right away, or cover and refrigerate the sauce for up to 5 days. Let the sauce come to room temperature before using.