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Huancaína (pronounced wanka-eena) is a Peruvian sauce made with chili and fresh cheese. It’s really smooth and creamy and has amazing taste brought by the yellow chili. To make it you just need a blender and it’s great on cooked potatoes as well as eggs and lettuce as a cold starter. You can also thin it down and use it as a salad dressing.

Ingredients
Huancaína sauce
- 200 g Peruvian yellow chili paste about 5 chilis (instructions below*)
- 200 g queso fresco or "fresh cheese" can be replaced with a dry ricotta or ricotta and don't add milk
- 200 ml canola or vegetable oil
- to taste salt
- as needed evaporated milk
Garnishes
- 500 g cooked potatoes
- 4 eggs
- 12 purple or black olives
- 6 lettuce leaves washed and dried
Instructions
- *To make the chili paste, remove the seeds and veins from the chili and boil it for 10-15min. Remove the skin and blend the remaining meat with a bit of vegetable oil, only enough so it can be blended. If you can't find the fresh chilis, try to find it already as a paste in speciality stores or even amazon. This will be spicier but works just as fine.
- Blend everything for the sauce at high speed. Adjust at the end with a bit of evaporated milk just to make it runnier. It should still be able to make a thick coat on the potatoes.
- To cook the eggs, put them in a pot with cold water at medium heat. When it starts to boil, time 8min. Once done, shock in icy water and peel.
- Arrange the lettuce, then the potatoes on top and cover them in the sauce. Finish with eggs cut in half and olives.
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This sauce is completely my weakness. Special thanks to my mom for giving me her recipe!