The Peruvian aji peppers are so unique, even among their closest relations. For instance, the aji amarillo tastes like fresh tropical sunshine, whereas the aji panca goes to a deeper, darker place. It features a berry-like sweetness with a smoky undertone, and so it is with this aji panca paste.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet and fruity, with a berry-like depth and a gentle smoky undertone. |
| Primary heat source | Aji panca chilies, 1,000 to 1,500 SHU. |
| Heat level | Mild. More flavor than fire. |
| Texture | A thick, spoonable paste, as smooth or as coarse as you like. |
| Best uses | Peruvian stews and sauces, marinades, eggs, tacos and steak. |
| Customization ideas | Garlic, salt or a squeeze of lime, or a spoonful of aji amarillo for more heat. |
| Before you start | About 30 minutes. Most stores only carry dried aji panca, so plan time to rehydrate it. |
Flavor notes
We love it, too, as a much milder alternative to chipotle paste. It’s sweeter and not quite as smoky, and at most about half the heat of chipotle. If chipotle’s medium heat is not for you, the mild simmer of aji panca provides a delicious alternative.
The numbers back that up. Aji panca runs 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville heat units, about the same as an ancho, while chipotles start at 2,500. The chilies ripen from green to a deep, dark red, and that dark red is where the paste gets its color.
Outside of Peru, you’ll rarely find fresh aji panca, since nearly all of it is sold dried. So for most of us this paste starts with dried chilies that get rehydrated first, and our guide to rehydrating peppers walks you through it.
Toasting the chili halves in a dry pan gives the paste a deeper, roastier flavor, and then the quick boil and ice bath soften the chilies so they blend smoothly with the oil into a thick paste.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these work around the chilies or change the flavor.
- Using dried aji panca? Stem and seed the chilies, toast them for a minute or two, then cover them with boiling water and soak until soft. Once they’re soft, you can skip the boil and the ice bath and go straight to the food processor.
- Can’t find aji panca at all? Our aji panca substitute guide covers the best stand-ins, including store-bought aji panca paste.
- Want a little heat? Blend in a spoonful of aji amarillo paste, or a pinch of cayenne.
- Want more savory flavor? Add a clove or two of garlic and a pinch of salt to the food processor.
- Want it brighter? Finish it with a squeeze of lime juice.
- Want a looser sauce? Blend in a little more oil, or a splash of the chilies’ soaking water if you rehydrated them.
Serving ideas
It’s used in many authentic Peruvian dishes and sauces to provide that wonderful sweet-smoke taste. But there’s so much more you can do with this chili paste. Try it with breakfast eggs or as a taco or burrito sauce. It’s also very good as the base for a steak marinade or simply as a steak sauce.
- In Peruvian dishes. Stir it into stews, rice dishes and sauces.
- As a marinade. Thin it with a little oil and lime, then rub it onto steak, chicken or pork before grilling.
- With eggs. A spoonful on scrambled or fried eggs.
- In tacos and burritos. Loosen it with a splash of water and drizzle it on.
- As a dip. Stir a spoonful into mayonnaise or sour cream for fries and roasted potatoes.
Storage notes
Keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge and use it within about four days. This paste is chilies blended with oil, and Oregon State University Extension says vegetables mixed with oil should be refrigerated and used within 4 days, or frozen for longer. So if you make a full batch, freeze some in an ice cube tray and pop out a cube whenever you need it.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Aji Amarillo Sauce: A creamy, bright yellow sauce made with aji panca’s hotter cousin.
- Huancaina Sauce: A Peruvian cheese sauce made with fresh aji amarillo, queso fresco and evaporated milk.
- Adobo de Chanco: Slow-braised Peruvian pork in a chili marinade.
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Aji Panca Paste
Ingredients
- 1 pound aji panca chilies
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Water
Instructions
- Preheat a large pot of water, bringing it to a boil. Place a large bowl of ice cold water to the side (for blanching).
- Remove the stems from the chilies, cut the peppers in half, then remove the seeds as well.
- In a frying pan or skillet over high heat (no oil), toast the chili halves for approximately 3 minutes.
- Remove the chilies from the pan and drop them in the boiling water. Allow the chilies to boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the chilies from the boiling water and place them immediately in the ice cold water. Let them sit until all heat is removed from the chilies (1 to 2 minutes).
- Remove the chilies from the cold water and place them in a food processor with the vegetable oil. Process the aji until you reach your desired paste consistency.
- Place the paste into a sealable jar and serve immediately or, for best flavor, cover the paste and let it refrigerate over night to allow the flavors to meld.
