Ají de maracuyá

A fruit sauce built on tree-tomato hot sauce

Ají de maracuyá is a passion fruit hot sauce. The author describes it as inspired by the fruity tree-tomato sauce common across Ecuador, and says the recipe came from her first making of it in Ecuador with yellow passion fruit and red ají peppers.

The result is a creamy, mildly spicy sauce in which the fruit's fragrance and acidity are balanced by heat and herbs. It is a contemporary sauce rather than a traditional dish with a fixed history.

Peppers and substitutes

The author recommends Ecuadorian red ají peppers or Peruvian ají amarillo. Red fresno chiles or habaneros are backups. She could not find Ecuadorian red ají in the United States and uses frozen Peruvian ají amarillo, which she considers the closest match.

The peppers are boiled so that their heat and texture soften before blending, then peeled and deseeded so that the sauce stays smooth and less fiery.

Method

The peppers are boiled for 10 to 15 minutes, cooled in cold water, peeled and stripped of seeds and inner veins. They are then blended with the passion fruit juice, oil and lime juice until smooth.

Cilantro is optional and is stirred in after blending, followed by salt to taste.

Oil and serving

Light olive oil or avocado oil is preferred because it does not overpower the fruit and peppers; the author says regular olive oil is also acceptable.

The author suggests dipping patacones, chifles or chicken empanadas in the sauce, or serving it over grilled chicken or salmon.

Storage

The page has no storage section. In a reader comment the author says the sauce should be used fresh, so no shelf life is recorded here.