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I like to try new stuff. I recently caught a food network show where Bobby Flay did chicken wings three ways...I didn't know of the pepper he was using, so I paused the DVR and a few minutes later it was on it's way before I rejoined the show. What I got was this...
Aji Panca - Sweet berry-like flavor with a hint of smoke…
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. 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.
We love it, too, as a much milder alternative to chipotle paste. It’s sweeter and not quite as smoky, and at minimum half the heat to chipotle. If chipotle’s medium heat is not for you, the mild simmer of aji panca provides a delicious alternative.
Aji Amarillo - Brighten your table.
As far as chili-based sauces go, few are as brightly beautiful as aji amarillo sauce. It looks like captured sunshine, and its tropical flavor and medium-high heat tastes terrific on everything from chicken to french fries. Aji amarillo is a staple of Peruvian cooking, so this sauce works very well with South American cuisine and other Peruvian recipes. If you happen to have fresh aji amarillo available, use it instead of the paste.
Rocoto pepper - Juicy, meaty, and extra hot to boot…
The rocoto pepper (a.k.a. locoto pepper) may resemble a bell pepper in shape, but underneath the hood it’s one chili that’s full of surprises. There’s juiciness and meatiness to this chili – more akin to a tomato than a pepper – that’s set ablaze with surprising heat. The rocoto can top out at habanero level spiciness, and that often catches eaters by surprise. It’s a unique culinary experience that’s a critical ingredient to both Peruvian and Bolivian cuisines.
How hot are rocoto peppers?
There’s significant medium heat here – so hot, in fact, that it borders on the extra hot category where the likes of habaneros and Scotch bonnets live. At 30,000 to 100,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) the rocoto can be anywhere from four to forty times hotter than our jalapeño reference point. It’s much hotter than its close cousin, the manzano chili (12,000 to 30,000 SHU), so while these two peppers share a similar look, note you could be in for a spicy surprise.
Here they are...from left to right Aji Panca, Aji Amarillo, Rocoto
The Aji Panca has little heat, but a deep fruitiness that is reminiscent of a good mole. The Aji Amarillo has some gentle medium heat, and is seriously fruity and delicious. The Rocoto is a firey but delicious pepper sauce...it has a punch to it and it made my head sweat...a lot.
I got the pepper trio on Amazon here: LINK
I also picked up some Lizano sauce.
Found in nearly every Costa Rican home, restaurant, and roadside food stand, Salsa Lizano is a smooth, light brown vegetable-based sauce with a touch of sweetness and a hearty punch of spice, including cumin, mustard, and turmeric. It’s most commonly served as a condiment with rice and beans and tamales, but it’s also used as a marinade for beef, pork, and chicken.
Salsa Lizano can also add a savory edge to vegetarian dishes, like Rice and Beans with Fried Eggs. If you buy a bottle to make this dish, you’ll have plenty left over to try in other recipes.
This is a lot like a Worcestershire but has a tangy spice to it too. It is pretty darned tasty, and I can't wait to marinate some kabobs with it. So far I've dipped chips in it and also had it as a salad dressing. It is super versatile and very interesting. I got a 3 pack and will be experimenting with this for a while.
I got it here: LINK
Aji Panca - Sweet berry-like flavor with a hint of smoke…
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. 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.
We love it, too, as a much milder alternative to chipotle paste. It’s sweeter and not quite as smoky, and at minimum half the heat to chipotle. If chipotle’s medium heat is not for you, the mild simmer of aji panca provides a delicious alternative.
Aji Amarillo - Brighten your table.
As far as chili-based sauces go, few are as brightly beautiful as aji amarillo sauce. It looks like captured sunshine, and its tropical flavor and medium-high heat tastes terrific on everything from chicken to french fries. Aji amarillo is a staple of Peruvian cooking, so this sauce works very well with South American cuisine and other Peruvian recipes. If you happen to have fresh aji amarillo available, use it instead of the paste.
Rocoto pepper - Juicy, meaty, and extra hot to boot…
The rocoto pepper (a.k.a. locoto pepper) may resemble a bell pepper in shape, but underneath the hood it’s one chili that’s full of surprises. There’s juiciness and meatiness to this chili – more akin to a tomato than a pepper – that’s set ablaze with surprising heat. The rocoto can top out at habanero level spiciness, and that often catches eaters by surprise. It’s a unique culinary experience that’s a critical ingredient to both Peruvian and Bolivian cuisines.
How hot are rocoto peppers?
There’s significant medium heat here – so hot, in fact, that it borders on the extra hot category where the likes of habaneros and Scotch bonnets live. At 30,000 to 100,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) the rocoto can be anywhere from four to forty times hotter than our jalapeño reference point. It’s much hotter than its close cousin, the manzano chili (12,000 to 30,000 SHU), so while these two peppers share a similar look, note you could be in for a spicy surprise.
Here they are...from left to right Aji Panca, Aji Amarillo, Rocoto
The Aji Panca has little heat, but a deep fruitiness that is reminiscent of a good mole. The Aji Amarillo has some gentle medium heat, and is seriously fruity and delicious. The Rocoto is a firey but delicious pepper sauce...it has a punch to it and it made my head sweat...a lot.
I got the pepper trio on Amazon here: LINK
I also picked up some Lizano sauce.
Found in nearly every Costa Rican home, restaurant, and roadside food stand, Salsa Lizano is a smooth, light brown vegetable-based sauce with a touch of sweetness and a hearty punch of spice, including cumin, mustard, and turmeric. It’s most commonly served as a condiment with rice and beans and tamales, but it’s also used as a marinade for beef, pork, and chicken.
Salsa Lizano can also add a savory edge to vegetarian dishes, like Rice and Beans with Fried Eggs. If you buy a bottle to make this dish, you’ll have plenty left over to try in other recipes.
This is a lot like a Worcestershire but has a tangy spice to it too. It is pretty darned tasty, and I can't wait to marinate some kabobs with it. So far I've dipped chips in it and also had it as a salad dressing. It is super versatile and very interesting. I got a 3 pack and will be experimenting with this for a while.
I got it here: LINK
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