HOT COLOMBIAN SAUCE "AJÍ"
- Carolina Caicedo
- Sep 5
- 1 min read
At my home, this hot sauce — or “ají pique,” as my grandmother Graciela called it — was never missing when there were empanadas. 🔥 For me, it’s the secret soul of the table: that intense, tangy, and fresh flavor that transports you straight to any Colombian corner filled with fried food and laughter.
The beautiful thing about this ají is that every family in Colombia has its own version. This is mine, easy, versatile, and perfect to bring life to EVERYTHING: boiled potatoes, yucca, grilled meat, fried plantain (patacones), arepas… whatever you want.
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
1 bunch of cilantro or to taste (for me, the more the better)
2 stalks of green onion (called “ajetes” in Spain)
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
Juice of two limes or to taste
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 red onion
Your favorite chili (can also be liquid) (OPTIONAL)
2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive oil works if you don’t mind the flavor)
A splash of water
1 tbsp ketchup (OPTIONAL)
Preparation:
Chop everything very finely. For me, this is the most important step: the smaller the pieces, the better the flavors mix.
Put all ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and adjust: want it more acidic? Add more lime. Fresher? More cilantro. More punch? More chili.
Let it rest a few minutes to let the flavors embrace.
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