Colombian Peanut Hot Sauce
Even though eating or making spicy food in Colombia is not very common the way it is in other countries, you will find a variety of hot sauces, the most common being the one you make with onion, tomatoes, vinegar and other ingredients. But there are also other types of hot sauces like this peanut hot sauce which is more popular in the departments located in the southern part of the country.
This hot sauce is usually served with empanadas de pipián or empanadas filled with pipián, which is a filling that is also made with peanuts. Both, the hot sauce, as well as the empanadas, are very, very easy to make and the peanuts really give them a delicious flavor.
You can make the peanut hot sauce with regular unsalted peanuts, and I like to toast them a little before I chop them to bring out their flavor. Other people completely blend the peanuts with the chicken broth in a blender and it comes out a little bit thicker. And if you want to make it with unsweetened and unsalted peanut butter, you can and let me tell you, even though it’s not a traditional way of making it, it comes out phenomenal.
¡Buen provecho!
Colombian Peanut Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup 125 g unsalted peanuts
- 2-3 hot peppers (finely chopped (habanero or jalapeños work really well))
- 2 green onions (chopped (stalks only))
- ¼ cup 4 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 seedless roma tomato (chopped)
- 1 cup 240 ml chicken broth
- The juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast the peanuts in a large pan over medium heat. You can toast them until some of them are slightly charred. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Chop the peanuts really well in a food processor. You can also place them in a sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin or thick glass bottle. Another option would be to blend the peanuts with the chicken broth in a blender.
- 3. In a medium bowl, mix the finely chopped peanuts, hot peppers, green onion, cilantro, tomato, chicken broth and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
