Dashboard › Browse Recipes › Peruvian Cooking Bases: Master the Essential Aderezos
Peruvian Cooking Bases: Master the Essential Aderezos
by Giacomo Bocchio
sauce_base easy Peruvian

Peruvian Cooking Bases: Master the Essential Aderezos

Giacomo Bocchio teaches the foundational sauce bases (aderezos) of Peruvian cuisine: base sofrito, aderezo amarillo, aderezo verde, aderezo colorado/rojo, plus raw and cooked ají amarillo paste and ají panca paste.

20m Prep
40m Cook
1h Total
4 Servings
aderezo sofrito sauce base peruvian aji amarillo aji panca cilantro pasta de aji base gluten-free vegan

Ingredients

  • 100 g red onion (finely diced (brunoise))
  • 10 g garlic (finely minced or pureed)
  • 30 ml vegetable oil
  • salt
  • 200 g fresh ají amarillo (seeded and deveined)
  • 40 g ají panca (dried red chile) (seeded, deveined, blanched 5 times)
  • fresh cilantro leaves (leaves only, blended)

Steps

  1. 1
    BASE SOFRITO: Heat oil, add finely diced onion, cook until translucent. Add garlic (1:10 ratio to onion), cook 10-12 min total. Add salt. Store or blend.
  2. 2
    RAW AJÍ AMARILLO PASTE: Seed and devein fresh ají amarillo. Blend with a splash of water. This is the raw paste.
  3. 3
    COOKED AJÍ AMARILLO PASTE: Blanch cleaned ají amarillo 3 times from cold water. Ice bath, peel, blend with oil until silky. Ideal for ají de gallina, causa.
  4. 4
    AJÍ PANCA PASTE: Clean dried ají panca, blanch 5 times from cold water. Ice bath, blend with a little water, strain to remove skin.
  5. 5
    ADEREZO AMARILLO: Combine 100g sofrito + 200g raw ají amarillo paste (1:2). Cook until oil separates. Season with salt, pepper, cumin.
  6. 6
    ADEREZO VERDE: To the amarillo aderezo, add blended cilantro water to taste. Cook 10 min — undercooked cilantro turns bitter.
  7. 7
    ADEREZO COLORADO: Combine 100g sofrito + ~40g ají panca paste (1:0.4). Cook until combined. Used for carapulca, estofados, tamales.
  8. 8
    STORAGE: Cool completely, store airtight in fridge up to 1 week. Freeze in portions for up to 6 months.
Cultural Context
The aderezo is the cornerstone of Peruvian stews and guisos — the Peruvian term for a sofrito enriched with ají paste. Mastering these bases unlocks classic dishes from ají de gallina to carapulca to arroz con pato.
Video thumbnail
Giacomo Bocchio
ANTES DE COCINAR COCINA PERUANA APRENDE ESTAS BASES | ELEVA TU JUEGO CULINARIO
Watch on YouTube →
Log a Cook