Aji de Tomate de Arbol / Tamarillo Hot Sauce

Earlier in the week i was at my local supermarket and was surprised to see a tray of tamarillos (also known as tree tomatoes) for sale. Never actually seen them before but i was reminded of an Ecuadorian aji sauce i had wanted to try for a while. I had planned on trying this next week but last night i swung by the shop and was glad i did as only about a dozen were left.
 
I did research this recipe, most seem to be a replicate of the original (which i have posted) or near enough not try any variations. I guess the glaring difference between mine and the original is the colour. The only fruit avaliable to me was deep red as opposed to the bright orange variety in the original recipe. This is my very close take.
 
Tamarillo, onion, peach bhuts, corriander, lemon.
 

 
Blitz tamarillos and chillies.
 

 
Into a pan with 1/4 cup of water over medium heat.

 
Other ingredients mixed through  and seasoned.

 
 
Recipe:

 
Ingredients

• 4-5 tree tomatoes, fresh or frozen
• 2 ajies or hot peppers (serranos or red chilies are good options, habaneros if you are very brave)
• 2 tbs finely chopped white onion
• 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbs lime or lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• Salt to taste
• Optional – Add cooked and peeled chochos or lupini beans
•  

Instructions
 

1. If using fresh tree tomatoes peel them, boil them for about 5 minutes to make it easier to peel them.
2. If using frozen tree tomatoes, defrost them over night in the fridge, then cut them in half and scoop out all the insides.
3. Blend the tree tomatoes with the hot peppers (seeded and deveined if you want it very mild, you can always save a few seeds and add them in if it’s too mild).
4. Transfer the blended mix of tree tomatoes and hot peppers to a small sauce pan, add the water (you can add more if you want a more liquid sauce) and cook on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. You can also omit the cooking part, the sauce will be fresher, but will need to be consumed faster.
5. Add the onion, lime juice, cilantro, chochos (if adding), and salt to taste.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Click to expand...

 
Courtesy of: http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/03/10/tree-tomato-aji/