This post is also available in Spanish
Ají picante or Ají Piqué is a spicy sauce from my hometown Antioquia. We keep it in the refrigerator all year round. It is an absolute must for Colombian Empanadas and it is the perfect sauce to flavor soups, stews and the perfect dipping sauce for Patacones. Growing up in my house we used it in almost every dish my mom made and it is my dad’s favorite condiment.
Ingredients
- 1 seeded small hot pepper or 1 red habanero pepper
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- ½ cup chopped tomato
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Directions
- Put the vinegar, water and habanero pepper in a blender for 2 minutes.
- Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Add the vinegar and habanero mix to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour in a glass jar and cover. Refrigerate up to 10 days.
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[…] 8. Dip the stuffed potato into the batter and carefully place them in the hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes or until golden, turning over halfway through. Remove the potatoes from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain in a plate with paper towels. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with Ají. […]
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[…] with guacamole. A little bit of reading up on Colombian recipes threw up this hot sauce called Ají that looks pretty good […]
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[…] meat and potato mixture. One of my proudest moments this winter was finally working up the nerve to try a recipe for empanadas, and more or less succeeding. I love to cook, but am wary of recipes that involve a […]
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[…] Depois é só você deixá-las escorrer em um prato com papel aderente e as empanadas estão prontas para serem servidas. O processo é um pouco demorado por causa da massa. Fazê-la é bem simples. No entanto, o que tira um bom tempo é abrir e rechear uma empanada por vez. Já o recheio é bem rápido, uma vez que você tenha todos os ingredientes prontos. Se você gostar de um sabor mais picante, dá para adicionar uma pimentinha a gosto no recheio. Voltando para a massa, se alguém quiser se aventurar com a farinha de milho normal, sem ser pré-cozida, será necessário adicionar um ovo e um pouco de farinha de trigo para ajudar a dar ponto e elasticidade para trabalhar a massa, pois o grão do trigo cru é mais granulado e espesso. Mas, desse jeito, dá certo também, só que o ponto demorará mais para chegar. Uma alternativa fácil para essa trabalheira é utilizar massa pronta. No entanto, o sabor vai ficar mais parecido com o de pastel, pois as massas que temos aqui no Brasil não são como as de milho da Colômbia. De toda a forma, continua sendo uma dica válida, ainda mais se você tiver pouco tempo. Para acompanhar esse delicioso salgado, nada melhor do que um molho de pimenta. Você pode testar, ainda, fazer um ají picante, um molho servido com diversos pratos, especialmente as empanadas, feito à base de vinagre, sal, pimenta e condimentos. Há uma receita bem legal no blog My Colombian Recipes. […]
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[…] and ají for […]
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Chris De La Rosa says
April 18, 2009 at 4:47 PMLooks like something I’ll have to try. very similar to some of the hot sauces we have in the Caribbean.
5 Star Foodie says
April 19, 2009 at 3:15 PMThis is exactly what my husband would have wanted today – he was asking for something really spicy – this sauce looks excellent!
freda baldwin says
February 7, 2016 at 3:49 PMomg its is very nice ,serve it on meat or mashed potatoes,hamburgers almost everything ,its good
AL says
May 9, 2016 at 8:51 PMTry Scorpion Pepper in here next time
If your husband likes hot
Please be sparing thou
A drop will do !
Erica says
April 19, 2009 at 7:48 PMThis sauce is really spicy, but it is delicious.
Try it!
Mindy says
April 24, 2009 at 4:37 AMThis looks great…I’ll have to try it!
Sarah says
April 25, 2009 at 11:41 AMlove hot sauces, would this be considered salsa verde? Coriander is one of my favorite herbs
Lucia F Unger says
March 23, 2019 at 12:46 PMNo salsa verde is made with tontillo, and it’s a Mexican sauce.
I am Colombian, but the aji we made only had onions, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro. Water, vinegar, lemon and salt.
Lori Lynn says
April 28, 2009 at 12:55 PMI must make this!
LL
carlos says
September 9, 2009 at 12:20 PMHey at last I found the Colombian aji recepie. This is the ral deal.
Many thanks
Linda says
April 2, 2019 at 8:43 AMLove that sauce so happy to have found it…
BAKING is my ZeN says
September 9, 2009 at 10:25 PMMy sister-in-law makes this. She is from Columbia. I LOVE THIS!!!
Jaunchito says
May 9, 2016 at 10:26 AMIt is Colombia
Not Columbia !!!!
Jejejeeje
Anonymous says
February 16, 2018 at 2:28 PMColombia!!
Claudia says
February 16, 2018 at 2:29 PMColombia!!
Erica says
October 2, 2009 at 10:39 AMThank you everyone for your comments!
Natalia says
August 2, 2016 at 3:43 AMI was doing research all day and i like your recipes better. I have 3 questions how do i know if the oil is hot enough ?and do i have to change the oil when i make alot of empanadas? I want to make them crispy what is the best oil?
Pam Daza says
November 4, 2009 at 3:49 PMThanks soooo much for these recipes!! I am a gringo married to a wonderful Colombiano! 🙂 This sauce has become a staple in our home. My in-laws absolutely loved it too!! Thanks for affording me the opportunity to cook genuine Colombian food for my family! 🙂
Erica says
November 4, 2009 at 4:26 PMThank you for the nice comment, Pam!
Pam Daza says
November 4, 2009 at 3:50 PMby the way….. I’ve wanted the recipe for this sauce for a looooonng time!!
Maria Mabel says
November 19, 2009 at 9:30 AMErica,
I am glad I found your website. Thank you for taking your time to add links to the products, I am going to cook the empanadas tomorrow, sounds like a better alternative than to pay $2 per each at my local restaurant.
Two requests: Recipe for “Papa Chorreada”, and adding a “Print Version” to the recipes.
Erica says
November 19, 2009 at 10:11 AMMaria Mabel- I have the papas chorreadas recipe in my list and this is the link: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/2009/02/potatoes-with-cheese-sauce-papas_11.html
I am working in the print version.
Thank you for your comment!
danielle says
January 12, 2010 at 10:17 PMmy boyfriend is Colombian and I went to visit him in the summer. i have been looking for an aji recipe for a long time. im so glad i finally found one!
Rocio says
January 26, 2010 at 9:16 PMThanks so much for sharing this recipe, I too has been wanting to know how to do it, I’m Colombian and my husband is american but he loves empanadas with the aji sauce!
Jason H. says
March 20, 2010 at 9:38 PMThanks, Erica! I travel with a gentleman from Colombia periodically and we invariably end up at a Colombian restaurant (if we can find one) while we’re on the road. I’ve become addicted to the Bandeja Paisa, but it’s this sauce that I’ve been trying to get for a few years. Of the places we’ve visited, no one is willing to share the recipe. I’d give you a huge hug if I could, thank you!!!
Sara says
March 25, 2010 at 3:13 PMIs there a mild version?
Erica says
March 25, 2010 at 3:44 PMSara- Add less hot pepper.
yicel calzadilla says
January 16, 2019 at 6:41 PMwould jalapeño work instead?
alexa says
July 15, 2010 at 9:56 PMoh my gosh thank u so much for these wonderful recipes… im married to a very demanding colombian and you have truly helped me alot. you must be a wonderful cook erica! take care and thank you soooooo much 😉
your awesome!
Samantha says
July 21, 2010 at 2:29 PMThanks so much for all of your wonderful recipes Erica! My boyfriend is the happiest Colombian you will ever meet now. He is from Bogota. Of course, I cant cook it exactly like he used to have of his mothers cooking in Colombia, but still the same, he says it is amazingly precise! He tells me how much it reminds him of home and its all thanks to you! Thanks so much for giving us the true Colombian recipes!
arlene says
August 10, 2010 at 12:22 AMthank you – this is perfect aji! my husband lived in colombia for 5yrs (i visited over a dozen times) and this reminded me EXACTLY of the aji i loved and enjoyed so much!
i made it 3 times this week!!!
LeeAn Kahriger says
September 9, 2010 at 11:34 AMWow!!!! This is soo good. I know it will be a staple in my house. Can not thank you enough for all your work on this website.
Lori says
October 29, 2010 at 10:31 AMI have been searching for this aji for months to enjoy with my Colombian novio and was delighted to find a recipe for it. Thanks so much!!
Diana Lopez says
November 22, 2010 at 5:23 PMI couldn’t find habanero peppers so I made it with a jalapeno instead. It wasn’t as spicy but it was good enough. My husband thought it had too much vinegar but I thought it was just perfect.
Carolina says
March 26, 2011 at 6:53 AMmmm Aji!!! but aji is really from el Valle del Cauca.
Erica says
January 21, 2012 at 9:22 AMCarolina- We have variations of ají and empanadas all over the country!
Nana says
February 1, 2012 at 3:28 PMOMG! Mujer…. acabo de hacer aji y me quedo delicioso…. Thank you so much for such a great recipe. Brought me back to Colombia 😉
Instead of habanero pepper, I used ground Cayene pepper ( It was so difficult to find habanero pepper by me 🙁 ) and it came delicious.
Randy M. says
April 8, 2012 at 10:50 PMI live in Costa Rica and am fascinated by the fusion of foods from cultures in the country. I haven’t encountered this recipe before in this country, but I did see a reference to its use as a condiment with a oven-roasted ripe plantain, stuffed with cheese. However, it looked like the aji picante was run through a blender in that case. I will try this recipe soon. Several members of our house like spicy food, including me. Thanks for sharing this!
Gio says
September 25, 2013 at 4:14 PMSo do you have to wait ten days before you use it or Is it good for up to ten days. Sorry if that’s a silly question
Erica Dinho says
September 25, 2013 at 7:51 PMGood for up to ten days.
Herb Wright says
September 28, 2013 at 1:00 PMHi Erica:
I have been making this Aji Picante sauce since I found your website and as you stated, we use it on almost everything. Last week we finally visited a local Columbian restaurant here in Austin, Texas House of Columbia and the aji picante they served is very different. I am sure there are varieties of this for different regions, there’s is a tomatoe base and didn’t seem to even have the parsley in it. Is it also a common sauce also or more of a personal variation? I have tried many of your recipes and love them all, thanks so much for the great website.
Michelle says
September 28, 2013 at 2:53 PMThe habanero is delicious! If you are afraid of the heat……..MAKE SURE you take the seeds and the white pulp out.
michelle w says
January 8, 2014 at 2:12 PMSince I found this recipe, a jar of it is in my fridge all the time. I just love it
Erika says
February 12, 2014 at 2:42 PMHello, very nice and simple recipe. Just a little adjustment to the original recipe would make it almost 100% Colombian… Try to use a chilli called “Aji Chirca”, a little green gem that grow wild in south america, specially in Colombia. I hear somewhere you can get it sun-dried, in vinegar or oil. When I get the link I’ll sure post it here.
Ashley says
May 21, 2014 at 11:54 AMMy fiancé is paisa and this is the first aji recipe he freaked out over. He said it was exactly like home. We don’t find it too spicy and he puts it on everything. Thanks so much for sharing!
M says
June 17, 2014 at 8:34 PMI made this today, very easy and so delicious. Thank you for your recipes. I will use this with the frijoles paisas too.
Mark says
July 23, 2014 at 9:46 PMOutstanding recipe. I used a jalapeño and only 1/4 of the seeds and stems to keep the flavor and avoid the burn. Question: is parsley normally included?
Erica Dinho says
July 24, 2014 at 8:39 AMHi Mark,
Every person in Colombia has a different recipe for ají.This is my family recipe. My grandmother always added parsley to her ají,but some Colombians don’t add parsley and they add more green onions or cilantro.
Alan Bowman says
November 14, 2014 at 2:06 PMHi Erica from Spain
the big problem with aji is getting those tiny lethal peppers here.
Alan
Anonymous says
December 5, 2014 at 10:32 PMgreat
Nadja says
June 19, 2015 at 4:10 AMThank you for this recipe! I’m getting married in september and I’m looking for a colombian salsa or something similar for guest wedding favors. It would be great if I could prepare the salsa (or similar) a few weeks before the wedding in a glass jar (like one of those jam jars)… Any ideas? 🙂
Thank you, Nadja from Switzerland
Elvira says
August 26, 2015 at 12:21 AMHi, Erica,
Where can jalapenos seeds/or jalapeno chili pepper be purchased in colombia? Who/where to purchase aji chirca?
Region of colombia: atlantico
and antioquia
Please let me know if possible because its a regalo.
Your recipe are fantastic, thank you.
Anonymous says
April 5, 2016 at 12:24 PMIT LOOKS SO GOOD, YUMMY…! Thanks!
Maria says
September 3, 2017 at 11:17 AMHi! I love tour website thanks for making it so easy to find recipes of foods I’ve been dying to try to make! They always come out delicious!
One question for this recipe; there’s an empty bullet point after tomatoes in the ingredients. Is there an ingredient missing in your list? Just wanted to double check.
Thanks a lot!!
Erica Dinho says
September 5, 2017 at 3:47 PMNo, that is the last ingredient.
Heather says
November 14, 2017 at 1:57 PMI adopted an older child from Colombia 2 years ago and I am so excited to share authentic Colombian food with her! Thanks for your incredible recipes!
Melissa says
November 26, 2017 at 2:39 PMI’m from Medellin, My great grandma always makes something similar to this and we put it in our soup, it’s delicious! Will make this since i’m back home in the US.
Thomas says
December 14, 2017 at 9:42 AMOMG, I have to try!!!
In Colombia, there are so many different spicy sauces! I used to live in Capurgana, and there was this “Arepa Lady”. She was selling arepa from her Kitchen. You could sit on one of the 4-5 plastic chairs outside. She is a really nice person. And every time I went there, I was almost drinking her spicy sauce.
My mouth is watering just to think about it ^^
c says
February 6, 2018 at 7:28 PMErica,
Thank you for bringing soul to the Latin community. I love reading your dishes to remember my mother and grandmother as well. I always look at your blog for the recipes and I also thank you to send me the emails.
Jana says
December 12, 2018 at 11:40 PMDoes anyone know how to make this recipe in a big batch to serve at a party?
Erica Dinho says
December 16, 2018 at 7:45 PMDouble the recipe.
Monica says
March 26, 2019 at 1:32 PMMy grandmother and mother from Cali, use to make it and taught me. They used tabasco sauce instead of chili pepper and omitted the lime juice. It still has a kick to it.