Difficulty 1/5
Huancaína (pronounced wanka-eena) is a Peruvian sauce made with chili and fresh cheese. It’s really smooth and creamy and has amazing taste brought by the yellow chili. To make it you just need a blender and it’s great on cooked potatoes as well as eggs and lettuce as a cold starter. You can also thin it down and use it as a salad dressing.
Papas a la Huancaína
Ingredients
Huancaína sauce
- 200 g Peruvian yellow chili paste about 5 chilis (instructions below*)
- 200 g queso fresco or "fresh cheese" can be replaced with a dry ricotta or ricotta and don't add milk
- 200 ml canola or vegetable oil
- to taste salt
- as needed evaporated milk
Garnishes
- 500 g cooked potatoes
- 4 eggs
- 12 purple or black olives
- 6 lettuce leaves washed and dried
Instructions
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*To make the chili paste, remove the seeds and veins from the chili and boil it for 10-15min. Remove the skin and blend the remaining meat with a bit of vegetable oil, only enough so it can be blended. If you can't find the fresh chilis, try to find it already as a paste in speciality stores or even amazon. This will be spicier but works just as fine.
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Blend everything for the sauce at high speed. Adjust at the end with a bit of evaporated milk just to make it runnier. It should still be able to make a thick coat on the potatoes.
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To cook the eggs, put them in a pot with cold water at medium heat. When it starts to boil, time 8min. Once done, shock in icy water and peel.
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Arrange the lettuce, then the potatoes on top and cover them in the sauce. Finish with eggs cut in half and olives.
This sauce is completely my weakness. Special thanks to my mom for giving me her recipe!
