Dtarazona / Wikimedia Commons
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Chef Celly | 2011-11-27 22:38:49 |  9,250 Views |
Papa A La Huancaina..Celly makes spicy Peruvian cheese sauce
Huancaína (pronounced wan-kay-eena) sauce originates from the Huancayo region of Peru and is typically served over cold potato slices with hard-boiled eggs and black olives in the famous Peruvian dish papa a la Huancaína. The story goes that a woman from Huancayo invented the dish and served it to the railroad workers who were building the high-altitude railway (Ferrocarril Central Andino) from Lima to Huancayo in the Andes. The dish became so popular that it was named after this woman La Huancaína whose real name seems to be lost to history.
The key ingredient in this sauce is the spicy aji amarillo chile pepper. These so-called “yellow peppers” look orange or red when ripe but turn yellow when cooked giving this sauce its bright color. Queso fresco cheese is the other key ingredient a firm but crumbly white cheese popular in this region of Peru. The sauce is traditionally thickened with saltine crackers which contributes to the distinctive flavor and texture of this unique recipe.
3 to 4 yellow aji amarillo chiles (frozen is fine) or 1/2 cup jarred aji amarillo paste
