Ají de maní
A spicy peanut hot sauce from the Popayán and Cauca region of Colombia, traditionally served with pipián empanadas and tamales.
Traditional method
Hogao
Hogao criollo · Colombian creole sauce · Colombian tomato and onion sauce
A slow-cooked Colombian sauce of tomato, onion and scallion that serves as the base of many dishes and as a topping for arepas and patacones.
A base before it is a condiment
Hogao is a cooked sauce of tomato, onion and scallion. It is used as the foundation of many Colombian dishes and also served as a topping, most often with arepas and patacones. It is not hot; spicy condiments such as ají are served separately.
The page describes hogao as a basis of national cooking, served with arepas, ajiaco, bandeja paisa, tamales, empanadas, patacones and sancocho.
Sources for this section
Sofrito and the tomato
The page traces hogao to the Spanish sofrito, a base of garlic, onion and pepper that appears in many stews. Spanish colonisation brought the base to America, where cooks added tomato, which the page says was domesticated in the Andes and was widely grown by the Aztecs in Mexico.
The page does not name the cooks who first added tomato to the base, and records the change only as a colonial-era development.
Sources for this section
Method
Tomato, onion, scallion and garlic are sautéed in oil over medium heat for about five minutes. The heat is then lowered, the sauce is seasoned and covered, and it simmers for thirty minutes. The page stresses that low heat lets the ingredients combine and the flavours fuse.
The page calls the traditional method an oil cauldron and advises ripe, fresh ingredients. It notes that the sauce keeps for several days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
Sources for this section
Onion and scallion
The page identifies traditional hogao with junca onion, which it treats as a scallion, and says the scallion originates in Southeast Asia and is widely grown in Wales. Other cooks use red or yellow onion. Recipes without scallion are described as less traditional.
Sources for this section
Regional versions
In Antioquia, in the north-west, hogao is made with tomato, scallion and salt. In Valle del Cauca, in the south-west, garlic and paprika are added. In Huila and Tolima the page adds garlic, parsley, annatto and cumin. In the Cundiboyacense highlands of the Andes, cooks use scallion, tomato, butter, milk and grated cheese.
Other areas may add chicken broth, cilantro or oregano. The page also lists related sauces elsewhere in the Caribbean and Latin America, including recao in Puerto Rico and sauces in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Argentina.
Sources for this section
History
The page traces hogao to the Spanish sofrito of garlic, onion and pepper, brought to America in colonial times, and says tomato was added after the Spanish arrived. It says the tomato was domesticated in the Andes, and that the name comes from the verbs ahogar and rehogar, glossed as choking or jumping, because the ingredients are sautéed before being stewed. The name's origin is the page's own gloss and is not dated.
Ingredients
Yield 4 servings · Scaling: source batch only
Ripe tomatoMedium pieces.
3
OnionMedium pieces.
1
Spring onionScallions, medium pieces; the page names the junca onion as traditional.
2
GarlicCrushed.
1 clove
44 mL3 tbsp as recorded
Amount not stated
Amount not stated
Method
- Cut the tomatoes, onion and scallions into medium pieces.
- Heat the oil and sauté the tomatoes, onion, scallions and garlic over medium heat for five minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- Let it cool, then refrigerate.
Conditions
Yield4 servings
Active time15 min
Places
Colombia
Traditional use · Country evidenceDescribed as a basis of national cooking; the source names regional versions in Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Huila and Tolima, and the Cundiboyacense highlands.
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Sources
196 FlavorsMethod · History
Hogao (Criollo Sauce)Ingredients and method
Sofrito origin and tomato
Name gloss
Regional variants
Uses
Cited in: A base before it is a condiment; Sofrito and the tomato; Method; Onion and scallion; Regional versions