Recipe for Aji de Gallina (Peruvian yellow pepper chicken stew)

Although Peruvian cuisine is largely known for seafood this dish is an underrated star of our cuisine. Aji de gallina, literally translated as 'pepper of hen' is an awesome and unique Peruvian dish. I am unaware of anything like it.  For this reason, I have researched the history of this dish but only found very little that is consistent aside from the fact that it is of Peruvian origin. One of the most interesting origin stories I encountered was that during French revolution many chefs that cooked for the French royalty fled France for the Americas, often to wealthy colonial families.  One such chef, while working for a family in Lima, concocted this delicious dish. Growing up when I was a little kid in Peru this was my absolute favorite dish and I am excited to share how to make aji de gallina (pronounced ahee de gayina).  I hope our friend Brian, who was very anxious for this recipe, will appreciate it! 

I should mention that while this dish requires several steps it is straight forward to have these going on parallel (such as the boiling, chopping, shredding at the same time).  Accordingly, the sequence of steps presented here allows for an efficient use of time. I suggest reading through them before starting to get a sense of how the multi-tasking will take place. Enjoy.

Recipe Ingredients:

4 cups of chicken broth

2 lbs of chicken (2 full chicken breasts)

2.5 medium red onions, roughly chopped

¼ cup vegetable oil + 1 tbs oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbs aji amarrillo (yellow pepper) paste

1 2/3 cups crumbs (crushed saltines* or plain bread crumbs)

4 cups whole milk (or evaporated milk)

1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup ground walnuts (optional)

2 large russet potatoes

2 eggs

2 cups of rice

Salt to taste

Serves: 6-8

 * one sleeve of saltines makes about this amount, see below.

Step 1: You start with  fresh chicken breasts. Bring four cups of chicken broth to boil in a large pot; add in chicken and boil until fully cooked (approximately 20 minutes). 

Step 2: While the chicken is boiling, rough chop the onion and mince the garlic. To mince garlic, you can either do it by hand or use a handy garlic press . If mincing by hand, peel the clove, then press down firmly on each clove with the side of your knife to flatten the clove. Then, finely chop the cloves.

Step 3: By this time the chicken should be almost done or finished boiling. Once cooked, remove chicken from broth and place it in either clean cutting board or plate so that it gets cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, after having removed the  chicken, drain the pot, setting aside the broth in which the chicken was boiled to use for later.

Step 4: Heat the emptied pot in which the chicken cooked on high for 15 seconds and then add ¼ cup vegetable oil and onion and heat over medium high heat. By adding the onion in at the same time as the oil, you avoid splashing yourself with hot oil later. Once the onion starts to sweat (around 5 minutes), add 4 cloves of minced garlic and reduce heat to medium. Heat the onion and garlic over medium heat, and stir periodically with a wooden or plastic spoon so as not to scratch the bottom of the pan.

 Step 5: By this time, the chicken should be cool enough to handle, so you can begin shredding the chicken. Personally, I shred the chicken by hand into medium sized pieces. Another way to do this is with two forks, but I find that using my hands is quicker.  A trick I sometimes use to make shredding the chicken easier is, instead of boiling the chicken, to use a pressure cooker to cook the chicken to the point where it starts to fall apart. With the chicken cooked to that extent, you hardly have to shred it on your own. Be careful not to overcook in the pressure cooker though!

 

 

Step 6: About a third of the way through the shredding, you should check in on the onion and garlic and stir. Also at this point, pour in 3 tbs of aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow pepper) paste. Keep in mind this pepper is very hot, but part of the flavor profile of this dish is that it is supposed to be spicy. The aji amarillo (yellow pepper) is also what gives this dish its vibrant yellow color. The reason you add in the yellow pepper at this point is to let it cook and release the essential oils so that the flavors can meld together.   As you continue to shred the chicken, make sure you periodically check in on the onion, garlic, and aji amarrillo saute. 

Step 7: Once the chicken is shredded, gradually add it to the pot with the onion, garlic, yellow pepper mixture. After the chicken is added, there should be significantly more chicken than onions. Also add in four cups of the broth that you had set aside after boiling the chicken and stir together all ingredients. Increase heat to medium high to bring mixture to a boil.

Step 8: While pot is coming to a boil, crush the saltines (about a full sleeve of crackers), if you are using them for your crumbs. This dish requires bread or similar types of crumbs- you can use unflavored bread crumbs or saltines.  If you are using saltines, simply crush the crackers in your hand into a bowl.

Step 9: After crushing the saltines, the chicken mixture should be boiling or almost boiling. Wait until it’s at a rolling boil, and then begin to add in 1 2/3 cups cracker crumbs

Step 10: Immediately after you throw the crumbs in, add in 4 cups of whole milk little by little and stir thoroughly. (You could also use evaporated milk or a combination of evaporated and whole milk. From experience, I do not recommend using reduced fat or skim milk, as it will not result in a creamy final dish). 

Step 11: Let the mixture heat to a low boil. Once at a low boil, add 1 ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly. Use this instead of hard, shredded parmesan cheese, as it will blend better. Also at this point add ¼ tsp ground black pepper and (optionally) add ¼ cup crushed walnuts or almonds. Stir thoroughly. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes (or longer, if you wish), stirring periodically so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. The idea here is that the mixture needs to cook together so that all of the different ingredients blend together for a unified dish. You’ll know it’s done when the parmesan, onions, crumbs, and milk have become one thick, creamy sauce. 

 Step 12a: While the creamy mixture of chicken is simmering, peel the potatoes (with vegetable peeler works best) and place peeled potatoes and eggs in water in a medium saucepan.  Add room temperature water and boil for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. NOTE: it is critical that you do not overcook the russet potatoes since they will fall apart.  As soon as the potatoes begin to feel tender almost to the center turn off the burner since they will continue to cook once removed from the heat. To test for the tenderness I usually poke them with wooden skewer. When in a bind I will use a fork. After the burner turned off carefully drain the hot water and fill the sauce pan with cool water from the sink to allow the eggs and potatoes to cool. Once cooled enough to handle, cut the potatoes into about 1/4 inch rings and peel eggs and cut into quarters.  

 Step 12b: Once the potatoes and eggs are left to boil begin making two cups of rice. To cook the rice see our 'how to cook rice' blog entry here. 

Step 13: By the time the you are done with preparing the potatoes and eggs and the rice is done cooking the chicken mixture should be ready. What you are looking for is a mostly smooth texture. 

Depending on the broth that you use, you may want to add some extra salt at this point(to taste). Now you are ready to assemble the dish! First begin by placing a bout 1/2 a cup of rice on a plate along with 2-4 rings of potato (depending on size of rings).

Next, place about one or two ladle-fulls of the chicken pepper mixture over potatoes. Finally, place quarter egg on one side. This dish is typically garnished with a black olive on the side. Happy eating!

Recipe for Cajun Blackened Chicken Easy Recipe

Blackened Chicken with Orzo (see our orzo recipe)

 We fell in love with this type of chicken when we went to New Orleans at K-Paul's Kitchen. I actually had blackened drum (a bayou fish) , but the techniques and flavor profiles transfer very well to chicken.This is a very simple recipe and quick to make. This recipe feed 4-5 people. 

Recipe Ingredients
1 1/4 lbs of chicken tenderloins
4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (1/4 to make it hot)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder


Preparation
Step 1: Combine paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, thyme, pepper and onion into small bowl.  Before adding the thyme, crush it a bit with your fingers. This helps to break up some of the leaves and releases the flavor. Mix all ingredients with a fork.  Pour blackening mix into container into which you can coat chicken.

Step 2: Place chicken into container with blackening mix. We're using previously frozen chicken that we defrosted under cold water. You can also defrost in the microwave to speed up the process, or of course, non-frozen chicken. If you do use previously frozen chicken, make sure that it has been thoroughly defrosted, otherwise the blackening seasoning will not stick well to the chicken.

Step 3: Move chicken around in blackening mix until it is well-coated.You will notice that the paprika sticks to the chicken exceptionally well, while getting the other elements of the mix (particularly the thyme) to stick might take a bit more effort.

Step 4: Coat the frying pan with vegetable oil-just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, any more and it will take the blackening mix off of your chicken. Tilt the pan to make sure the little amount of oil that you use covers the whole bottom. We use vegetable oil, rather than olive oil, because vegetable oil has a very mild flavor that won't distract your taste buds from the key element of this dish: the blackening seasoning.
 
Step 5: Once the oil has heated up, drop the chicken tenderloins into the pan. At first, leave the pan on high so that the chicken "blackens"... the paprika caramelizes and literally "blackens" during this process.  Let one side of the chicken cook on high for two minutes, and then flip.  Let the other side cook on high for two minutes. Flip again and turn the heat to medium. After approximately four more minutes, the chicken should be done. You can tell whether the chicken is done by its firmness. Poke at it, and the softer it is, the more raw it is inside. Of course, you don't want it to be "too" firm, because then it is probably overcooked and dry. Figuring out the right "firmness" takes time. In you're still learning, you can always cut into a piece of the chicken-if it is white all the way through, then it is safe to eat.

Your cajun blackened chicken is now ready to eat! Enjoy!

Note:  we are using chicken tenderloins for this dish. If you choose to use a different cut, cooking times may vary.

Recipe for Peruvian Fish Ceviche (Ceviche de Pescado)

If you are looking for healthy food you have come to the right place. In this entry we will show you how to make Peruvian ceviche with ingredients found in the US.Ceviche is basically Peru's national dish. There are many recipes for Ceviches but here I am laying out a simple recipe that is mostly used in Peru's north coast.  "Ceviche Limeño", or Lima ceviche, for example, tends to have additional ingredients such as garlic, a bit of oil, and finely chopped celery. If you have never eaten ceviche, it is very similar to sushi or more specifically sashimi.  In fact I have at times been to Japanese restaurants where they serve yellow tail sashimi over a bit of lime juice and with topped with jalapeno slices. It tasted very very similar to peruvian ceviche's not-so-distant cousing tiradito. My point is if you like sushi and sashimi you will also probably like ceviche.

Here I am adapting the recipe so that it can be prepared from ingredients found at most grocery stores. Take note that even though the fish is briefly cured and marinated in lime juice, it is still raw fish and carries with it similar risks to what you find with other raw food such as sushi, etc. That being said, I eat this all the time and never get sick, so without further ado, here's the recipe. 

Recipe Ingredients:

½ medium sized red onion

1lb tilapia, filleted

1 tbs. + 1tsp. salt

1/2 cup lime juice from freshly squeezed limes (key limes, if possible)

½ a bunch of Cilantro

1 small hot pepper (jalapeno, Peruvian peppers (aji amarillo or rocoto), or pepper of your choice)

How to Prepare Peruvian Ceviche (Simple Recipe)

We’re starting off with 1 lb of flash frozen tilapia that was defrosted by placing it under running cold water.

Step 1- Slice tilapia filet in half so you have about a 1 inch wide strip of fish

Step 2- Slice the strip of tilapia into bite-size pieces. Slice at an angle so as to maximize surface area. For best results, tilt the knife, rather than having it perpendicular to your cutting board.

So, as you go along, you should build a pile like this:

Step 3- Place fish into a container, flatten out as much as possible and expose as much of the fish as possible. Distribute 1 tbs. of salt evenly over the fish. Move fish around with a spoon so as to coat all sides with salt. Once finished, add an additional ½ tsp on top and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. The reason for salting the fish is to dehydrate it as much as possible so that it can soak up the lime juice that we will add later on. 

Step4- Squeeze enough limes to make about ½ a cup of juice. It is best to use key limes, when possible. Key limes are smaller than regular limes and have a tarter flavor. Key limes most closely approximate the type of limes that are found in Peru. Since there are so many limes to squeeze, we recommend using a lime squeezer such as this one or this one to expedite the process (it will also catch most of the seeds).  I use the more expensive stainless steel squeezer, and it works out great for me. The limes will release more juice when they are at room temperature-so either plan ahead and leave them out at room temperature for about a half hour, or put in the microwave for a few seconds. While squeezing the limes can be a pain, it is worth it! Lime juice from a bottle will NOT work.

Step 5- Julienne the onion. See here for an earlier entry that describes how to do it.

Step 6- Grab the top off of half a bunch of cilantro and give it a rough chop (cut on your board lengthwise and then widthwise, while rocking the knife)

Step 7- Remove fish from fridge and pour about 1/3 of a cup of lime juice over fish

Step 8- Prepare the hot pepper. A word of caution: since these are very hot, either use gloves while cutting it or wash your hands very thoroughly after slicing and refrain from touching your eyes for at least a couple hours afterwards...this stuff burns!  To slice the pepper, first remove seeds from inside and then cut into thin strips, and finally, cut those strips into minuscule pieces.
 Although you can use jalapeno or something else I am using a Peruvian yellow pepper called "aji amarillo".  I found them whole in brine at my supermarket but if you feel lazy and still want to have this pepper's unique flavor you can often find the paste at supermarkets or order it here or here with one click.  Another Peruvian pepper which is often used is "rocoto" but I have found this is harder to come by in the US (although the rocoto paste isn't--find it here.)

Step 9- After the fish has soaked in the lime juice for about 5 minutes, add to the fish the onions, cilantro and about 1/3 of the hot pepper that you have just chopped. Mix together. Add the rest of the lime juice.  Then, taste to determine the level of spiciness. Gradually add more hot pepper until you arrive at your desired heat level. 

Step 10- Let the ceviche sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then it is ready to eat. This is a step that differentiates Peruvian ceviche from other types.  Letting it sit too long will cause the fish to lose its tenderness and make it over acidic.   

Usually, we serve ceviche on single leaf of lettuce with a slice of corn and a slice sweet potato on the side.  One of the best parts of ceviche is the "leche de tigre," or "tiger's milk," which is the juice left over on your plate from the ceviche. We usually eat that with a spoon or you can order a shot of it in Peruvian restaurants as a cure for hangovers. It is delicious. Enjoy!