How To Use It
Aji amarillo is most frequently made into sauces, either green (the famous dipping sauce at Pio Pio in New York City) or orange. The orange variety, thickened with dairy, mayonnaise, and/or some form of bread, is ladled on meat, poultry, fish, starches, beans, and vegetables. My version, tailored to kidney beans, is pretty bare-bones, with just a bit of cheese, sugar, and lemon juice for balance and a brief fry-up with some garlic to gain some depth of flavor. But this is a sauce that begs for customization.
Ground, dried aji amarillo is perfect for cooking rice, lending vibrant color and sweet, rounded flavor. You can also experiment using it in place of other harsher chiles in spice blends like chili powder for a fruitier variation. If you’re wary about adding yet another chile to your pantry, keep in mind that aji amarillo tastes different from other more widely available capsicums. It’s a perfect everyday chile to compliment a meal without overwhelming it, as versatile and inimitable as it is delicious.
