Ají Verde

Name: Ají Verde
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: ½ cup mayonnaise; 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste; 2 tsp huacatay paste; 2 clove garlic; 1 tbsp lime (juice); 2 unit scallion (green tops only, sliced); ¼ cup cotija (crumbled); 1 ½ cup cilantro (leaves and tender stems, loosely packed); ¼ tsp salt

Sauces & Drinks · Latin American & Caribbean

9 ingredients · 10 minutes · 2 servings

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Variations

Jalapeño Ají VerdeAn explicitly labeled North American substitution branch, not the Peruvian paste-based reference.View recipe →

Contains dairy, egg · sometimes contains soy — check the label

Restrictions

Containsdairy · eggIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Sometimes contains — check the labelsoy (Mayonnaise)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.

Diets

VegetarianPescatarianNo porkNo alcohol

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

½ cup	mayonnaise
1 tbsp	ají amarillo paste
2 tsp	huacatay paste
2 clove	garlic
1 tbsp	lime (juice)
2 unit	scallion (green tops only, sliced)
¼ cup	cotija (crumbled)
1 ½ cup	cilantro (leaves and tender stems, loosely packed)
¼ tsp	salt

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 tbsp	olive oil
1 tsp	white wine vinegar
2 unit	jalapeños (seeded) — substitution build
¼ cup	queso fresco (crumbled) — in place of cotija
¼ cup	feta (crumbled) — in place of cotija

Steps

emulsify1 min
blender, liquids at the bottom
mayonnaise + lime juice + ají amarillo paste + huacatay paste + garlic + scallion greens, until uniformly pale green and glossy — load the wet ingredients first so the blade catches; a blender full of dry leaves just spins and you will be tempted to add water, which thins the emulsion and kills the cling
mix1.5 min
pulse, scraping down once
+ cotija + cilantro + salt, pulsing only until the leaves disappear and the sauce is mostly smooth — cilantro bruises and turns bitter and khaki under long continuous blending, so stop while it still looks bright
season2 min
tasting cold, off a spoon
taste and correct in three directions, because this is the whole skill: more salt if the cheese was mild, more lime if it tastes flat and heavy, olive oil by the teaspoon to mellow heat and loosen texture. Seeds and membranes are the heat dial — if you want it hotter, add a fresh seeded chilli rather than more paste, which brings sweetness and color along with the burn
store30 min
refrigerated, covered or in a squeeze bottle
rest cold before serving — the garlic and chilli need time to distribute, and the sauce thickens slightly as the emulsion sets. Keeps about a week; serve cold beside grilled or roasted chicken, potatoes or yuca. If it ever looks broken or weeping oil, it was over-blended warm; whisk in a spoonful of fresh mayonnaise to reassemble it