This is the best Peruvian potato salad. Do you like the yellow sauce that comes with Peruvian Chicken and this one is better! Yukon gold potatoes with a spicy yellow aji sauce that is so addicting!!!!
I love Peruvian cuisine and this was the Peruvian potato salad got me hooked. Peruvian cuisine has so many influences, Spanish, Italian, African, German, Japanese, and Chinese. There are so many famous dishes so I will only name a few, Pollo a la Brasa, Lomo Saltada, Ceviche, Seco etc. Potatoes are a big deal and a major crop. There are so many great potato dishes, papa rellena (stuffed mashed potato), Causa, and this dish Papas a la Huincaina named after a city in Peru. Civeche and quinoa are from Peru. We can’t forget the trend Chifa cuisine which is Chinese Peruvian.
I hired a Peruvian chef in my first restaurant and I really got to know the cuisine and the people. He used to take me to an illegal restaurant that a lady ran on her screened in porch. She had a full menu and even sold beer. I had to learn from her! The food was so good!
She was very skeptical of me at first but we soon became friends and we began cooking together. She also added Miller Light (I know but you would be surprised at how many chefs drink it) to her beer menu.
Well back to this dish. It is usually served as an app but I can eat is as a whole meal. I can eat it like soup. I dip my fingers in it and lick it like frosting.
The base of the recipe is aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper) and evaporated milk). You can find the aji paste in most Latino markets or you can order online. Get some! You will find many uses for it and it lasts a long time in the refrigerator.
This is a great brunch dish or potluck. Serve it wit this great recipe.
Authentic Papa a la Huincaina
My first and possible my favorite Peruvian Dish
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes (boiled, peeled, sliced)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup queso fesco or feta (I use feta because I have it and I like it better)
- 5 saltine crackers (this is a thickener you can use bread)
- 2 tbsp yellow aji paste (more if you like it spicy)
- 2 hard boiled eggs (1 for the sauce, one for garnish)
- salt as needed
boil potatoes until a skewer goes thru without resistance, peel and slice
put remaining ingredients except salt and 1 egg in a blender and blend.
adjust salt and get it the consistency of a thick ranch dressing by adding evaporated milk or crackers. Don't forget it may take a few minutes for the crackers to absorb the liquid and thicken the sauce
arrange potatoes on a plate,, pour sauce over, and garnish with hard boiled egg, olives, and parsley (optional)