Aji Verde, Peruvian Green Sauce
Aji verde is the green sauce that sits on nearly every Peruvian table, spooned over roast potatoes, grilled vegetables, and rice, built in its usual form on mayonnaise, fresh cheese, and a fistful of herbs blended with the golden chile aji amarillo. The chile is the soul of it, floral and warm rather than sharply hot, and it survives the swap to whole plants untouched. Soaked cashews give the same pourable creaminess as the dairy, a spoon of nutritional yeast returns the faint tang of the cheese, and lime seasons it so completely that no salt is missed. If you can find huacatay, the Peruvian black mint that gives the classic its haunting edge, use a spoonful in place of the spearmint. Make it ahead, since the flavors settle and deepen within an hour.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cilantro, packed, leaves and thin stems
- 2 tbsp Aji amarillo paste
- 1 Jalapeño, seeded, or leave seeds for more heat
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/3 cup Raw cashews, soaked 15 minutes in hot water, drained
- 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp Lime juice, fresh
- 2 tbsp Mint, leaves
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened soy milk
Method
- Soak the cashews in just-boiled water for 15 minutes and drain. This softens them enough to blend into a smooth cream, which is the job the mayonnaise and fresh cheese do in the restaurant version.
- Put the cilantro, aji amarillo, jalapeno, garlic, drained cashews, nutritional yeast, lime juice, and mint in a blender with the soy milk. Blend until completely smooth and bright green, stopping to scrape down the sides, about a minute.
- The heat should be gentle and fruity, not fierce: aji amarillo is a floral, sunny chile that carries color more than fire, and the jalapeno just backs it up. Add the jalapeno seeds back if you want more.
- Check the texture. It should pour thickly off a spoon, so blend in soy milk a tablespoon at a time if it is too stiff. The lime is what makes it taste seasoned without salt, so add a little more if it tastes flat.
- The traditional herb is huacatay, Peruvian black mint, which is hard to find fresh outside the Andes; a little spearmint blended with the cilantro gets close to its cool, minty edge. Serve it over potatoes, grains, or beans. It keeps three days and stays vivid if you press plastic against the surface.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 60 calories, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber, 25 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
