Aji Huacatay?

synclinorium

synclinorium

Since I'm growing Aji Amarillos this year, my housemate wondered if we could make her favorite sauce from Peru; Aji Huacatay. I've never had it before, but supposedly the two main ingredients are Aji Amarillos -easy enough- and Huacatay. After a bit of googling, I think this is the same thing as Mexican Marigold, whose leaves are supposed to be similar to tarragon and have an anise quality to them.

Anyone ever have the stuff? Make your own? I don't speak a word of Spanish, and I'm relying on my housemate to properly translate the ingredients list, or the conflicted opinions of internet dwellers. This is surely going to be an experiment.

Edit: apparently some recipes call for Rocoto peppers too, which I am also conveniently growing.
 
My friend from Peru is going to look in her recipe book for a Huacatay paste recipe.
I was told you can roast Aji Amarillos and blend them up in a blender or food processor.
There are a lot of recipes for Huacatay sauce on the internet but you need the paste to make it.

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Aji de Huacatay (sometimes called aji verde) is very common in the pollerias, served alongside pollo a la braza as well as being frequently served with anticuchos. Many restaurants leave a bowl or squeeze bottle out on the tables, and customers gloop it onto just about everything. It’s one of the few aji sauces I like, because it’s not too terribly spicy.

Ingredients:

1 cup of aji amarillo paste (use jarred, or make your own from roasted peppers for the best flavor!)
4 tbsps of huacatay (That’s an affiliate link to buy it from Amazon, if you can’t find it fresh at a Latin market)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RIXCOY?ie=UTF8&tag=whwereeaanmo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002RIXCOY

2 tablespoons of chopped onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend! What could be easier?

There are lots of variations to this sauce, everyone who makes it at home has their own recipe to suit their own tastes, so feel free to take this and run with it. You might see a lot of recipes around the internet that include milk, cream, cheese and/or peanuts. That’s not aji de huacatay, it’s ocopa, which is served over potatoes like huancaina sauce. While delicious, it isn’t the condiment served alongside meats, so don’t be confused!

Coppied from:

http://mylifeinperu.com/2011/02/18/aji-de-huacatay-and-aji-rocoto/
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Sounds like the leaves are somewhat hard to find.

How to Get it:

There are a few options here:
1.) Buy the ready made paste online. It is hard to find, but here is a currently valid link
2.) Grow the stuff. As we have said, Huacatay goes by many names. Search for "Tagetes minuta" or "black mint" at one of the following retailers: Johnny Seeds Richters Nichols Garden Nursery Horizon Herbs Pinetree Seeds
3.)Pilfer the stuff from somewhere. I you see it in a public garden and happen to have a crimal streak, take a small clipping and grow it with the help of a little rooting hormone.



Substitutions:

Because this herb has such a special flavor, there really is no substitute. However, in a pinch, EVERYONE needs substitues. To approximate the unique flavor of Huacatay, mix equal parts mint, coriander, and basil. When using the paste as a substitue, be careful to adjust the salt content of your recipe as the sauce has a 'briney-ness' of its own.



Coppied from:

http://www.holypollo.com/post/Ingredients-Huacatay.aspx

I'll let you know if my friend comes up with a recipe for you.
 
Thanks, that's very helpful. Yeah, I made the mistake of ordering Mexican Mint Marigold earlier, which apparently is something different (Tagetes lucida). I ordered some seeds for Tagetes minuta; the plants can get up to 10 feet tall! Crazy.

Also, for those curious, I recall running across both of these plants earlier because of their ability to repel certain harmful garden bugs. Didn't think much of it at the time, but fringe benefits are nice... although I believe it is considered a noxious weed in several states.
 
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