Chilli
Ají panca
Also called aji panca, ají panca paste, panca chilli, red ají
A dried Peruvian chilli, deep burgundy and wrinkled, with very mild heat. Outside Peru it is usually sold as a smooth jarred paste. It gives colour and a dried-fruit depth to marinades and stews rather than heat.
Origin
The Peruvian coast, where it has been grown and sun-dried for centuries. It is its own variety, not a ripened ají amarillo; dried ají amarillo is sold as ají mirasol.
Flavour
Berry-like and slightly smoky, with notes of raisin and a little bitterness. The heat is low.
How to use it
Use the paste straight from the jar in marinades for anticuchos and pollo a la brasa, or fry it with onion and garlic as the base of a stew. To use whole dried chillies, seed them, soak in hot water for 20 minutes and blend with a little of the soaking water.
Storage
Whole dried chillies keep a year in an airtight jar away from light. Opened paste keeps about a month in the fridge with a film of oil over the surface.
Recipes using it
Pollo a la brasa
Spatchcocked chicken marinated in soy, lime, garlic, cumin and ají panca, roasted hot until the skin is dark and crisp. Served with chips, salad and ají verde.
Easy
Rocoto relleno
Arequipa's stuffed rocoto: the fiery red pepper blanched to tame it, filled with spiced beef, peanuts, raisins and olives, topped with cheese and baked in egg and milk.
MediumHot
Seco de res
Beef braised in a green sauce of blended coriander, ají amarillo and beer until tender, with peas and carrot. Served with creamy beans and white rice.
Medium
