Ají de Maní is a traditional Colombian sauce and a must to serve empanadas de pipian. This delicious peanut hot sauce is also perfect to serve on top of grilled meats.
What is Ají de Maní?
Ají de Maní is a spicy sauce indigenous to the Popayan region of Colombia. It is a must to serve with Empanadas de Pipian and Tamales de Pipian. I personally love this delicious sauce with fresh vegetables or grilled chicken.
My American husband eats this sauce as a dip with Ritz crackers and he says that it is really good. However you use it, it is a wonderful spicy sauce recipe.
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact ingredients amounts and directions is below.
Vegetables: Scallions, garlic and habanero pepper
Oil: You can use vegetable, canola or corn oil
Peanuts: I recommend using roasted peanuts to make this sauce.
Herbs: Fresh cilantro or parsley
Seasoning: Sazón with color or azafran, cumin, salt and pepper
Water: To blend the sauce
How to Make Ají de Maní
- Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the scallions and cilantro. Cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to the sauce pan and cook over medium-low for 12 to 15 minutes. Let it cool and serve.
How to Store
Keep in a sealed container up to 3 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing this peanut sauce.
More Sauce Recipes to Try
Ají de Maní Recipe (Peanut Hot sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ cup roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 large garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon sazon goya with azafran achiote or color
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon habanero pepper chopped
- 2 cups of water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the scallions and cilantro. Cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to the sauce pan and cook over medium-low for 12 to 15 minutes. Let it cool and serve.
Tangled Noodle
This ají de maní sounds delicious! With the other sauces you've featured, I realize that there are so many wonderful sauces still to be discovered. I don't think I'll be content with the same old condiments any more! 😎
Baking is my Zen
I love sauces...thanks for this recipe!
Carla
I like this sauce. Sounds like it would be best on pork or chicken for me. Funny how you referenced your American husband...Ritz crackers, that was cute. 😉
Sandi
that looks really great!!
Kim
So cute that your husband eats this on ritz crackers! I would love this on some grilled veggies or grilled chicken. Sounds delicious Erica.
Erica
Thank you guys!
PJ
Easy delicious sauce! Now to make the empanadas to go with it. Thank you for the years of delicious memories.
Ivy
That looks really delicious and original!
Soma
This sauce is a keeper. It sounds so good that I could dip my fingers in the bowl and lick them clean 🙂
5 Star Foodie
A wonderful sauce! My husband would love this too!
Anonymous
¡Hola! Erica.
Una receta curiosa, me tomo nota pero aunque creo que tendré que sacrificarla un poco quitándole picante. Porque no lo tolero mucho.
Un beso.
Joan Nova
I imagine it would also be delicious spooned over rice or tablespoon or so in various stewed or braised meat/seafood dishes. It really has my mouth watering.
Erica
I love all your comments! Thank you so much!
Lyndsey
I'm going to remember this sauce, it looks fantastic! I don't know about eating it on a Ritz though....
Sandra G
I want to try this Erica sounds really Yummy!
Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes
Oh I am going to make this the next time I make empanadas! Or it would be good with grilled chicken like you said. Yum!
grace
i can see ritz crackers as being a suitable vehicle for this sauce--right on!
Juliana
Wow, this peanut sauce sure looks so tasty...love the ingredients in it...yummie!
Faith
I agree, grilled chicken is a delicious use for this wondeful sauce!
panutts
yumm looks very tempting,
MaryMoh
Wow...this must be very flavourful and delicious. I remember my mom used to cook peanut soup for us. She said it's very nutritious.
Oysterculture
This peanut sauce sounds amazing - I feel like you've been holding out on me, but you are always pulling out some incredible recipes. This one I know is sure to be a special treat.
Aside from the Empanadas de Pipian and Tamales de Pipian is it a sauce that is used for specific foods?
Melanie
I love spicy peanut sauce--great for chicken--I want some now.
norma
I would definitely use this on grilled veggies. Thanks for the recipe...it's been printed and saved.
Empar
Hola! Erica
No logro comprender porque no me reconoce al dejarte mensajes y siempre sale Anonimo. El comentario anterior Anonimo soy yo.
Soy Empar de Creandoenlacocina.blogspot.
A ver si por fín me reconoce como tal.
Un beso.
tasteofbeirut
Love that sauce Erica!
I like the peanuts in a savory sauce so much better than in a sweet pastry. This will be a nice change from the tahini sauce i use usually!
Oysterculture
Erica, the rest of my dinner is still cooking, and I hope to have enough of this sauce left to serve with it. I cannot help myself, I have to keep sampling - it is so good and tasty! What a delicious sauce. It is a keeper indeed. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!
Belinda @zomppa
With Ritz crackers? WOW! I can imagine this is good on anything - thanks for sharing!
Haley J.
Oh, this looks exciting! I cannot wait to try it out - I love finding new uses for jabanero peppers!
Erica
Thank you 🙂
Gado-Gado Gal
Erica,
I think the logical thing to do now would be to provide a recipe for Tamales de Pipián! 🙂
Misha
Dianna V
This sounds like sopa de mani. But no one in my family has ever made this. I want to make this for my husband (american). When I cook a colombian dish he comes home he sniffs the air and says, "Oh yeah, this reminds me of when we were just dating." LOL
Niru
I have eaten these in a tiny corner store in Popayan on the recommendation of my hostel owner. They were so good we kept buying more plates. That led me to search for this recipe.