Tree tomato aji hot sauce / Ají de tomate de árbol

Yield: ~1 1/2 cups of tree tomato aji

Tamarillo or tree tomato aji hot sauce is a very tasty hot sauce made from tree tomatoes or tamarillos, hot peppers, onion, cilantro and lime juice.

Ingredients

• 4-5 tree tomatoes, fresh or frozen if you can not find tree tomatoes you can use Tamarillo
• 2 ajies or hot peppers (serranos or red chilies are good options, habaneros if you are brave)
• 2 tbs finely chopped white onion
• 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbs lime or lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• Salt to taste

Instructions

First: If using fresh tree tomatoes peel them, boil them for about 5 minutes to make it easier to peel them.

If using frozen tree tomatoes, defrost them over night in the fridge, then cut them in half and scoop out all the insides.

Then: Blend the tree tomatoes with the hot peppers (seeded and deveined if you want it mild, you can always save a few seeds and add them in if it’s too mild).

Then: Transfer the blended mix of tree tomatoes and hot peppers to a small sauce pan, add the water (you can add more if you want a more liquid sauce) and cook on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. You can also omit the cooking part, the sauce will be fresher, but will need to be consumed faster.

Then: Add the onion, lime juice, cilantro and salt to taste.

Enjoy! Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Replace water with oil (avocado, light olive oil, or a mild flavored oil) for a creamier Cuencano style aji (do not cook it after blending).

With love, The Downings