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Ají de tomate de árbol
Ají de tomate de árbol: tangy tamarillo blended with hot chilli, then stirred with rinsed onion and coriander, on every Ecuadorian table
No Ecuadorian table in the Sierra, from Quito to Cuenca, is complete without a small bowl of ají, and the tamarillo version is the household favourite. Tomate de árbol, the egg-shaped, wine-red tree tomato, is blanched and peeled, blended with fresh hot chilli, salt and a little water, then finished with finely chopped onion and fresh coriander. It is spooned over locro de papa, llapingachos, empanadas de viento, hornado and fritada at the long Sunday family lunch, and onto everything at the street stalls of the Saturday markets. The flavour is tangy, fruity and slightly bitter-sweet, more sour than a tomato salsa, with a fresh bite of onion and a clean chilli heat. The common mistake is blending the tamarillos with their skins on, which makes the sauce bitter; blanch them until the skins split and slip off. It is ready when it is bright orange-red, loose and juicy, and the onion is still crisp. Abroad, tamarillos turn up in larger supermarkets; ripe plum tomatoes with the pulp of a passion fruit are the best stand-in. Chef's tip: rinse the chopped onion in salted water first, which tames its sharpness, as Ecuadorians do.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 4 tamarillos (tomate de árbol)about 300 g; or 300 g ripe plum tomatoes plus the pulp of 1 passion fruit
- 2 fresh hot chilliesají criollo, rocoto or red bird's-eye; adjust to taste
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ white or red onionsmall, about 60 g
- 1 tbsp lime juice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Cut a small cross in the base of each of the 4 tamarillos (tomate de árbol) and simmer them for 3–4 minutes, until the skins split and wrinkle.
4 minStep 2: Drain, cool under cold water for a minute and slip off the skins; cut out the stem end.
3 minStep 3: Remove the seeds from the 2 fresh hot chillies if you want it milder, and chop roughly. Blend the tamarillos, chilli, ¼ cup cold water and ½ tsp salt for 20–30 seconds until smooth but still a little loose.
2 minStep 4: Chop the ½ white or red onion very finely, put it in a sieve, sprinkle with the remaining ½ tsp salt, rub for 30 seconds and rinse under cold water. Shake dry.
4 minStep 5: Chop the ½ oz fresh coriander leaves and stir it, the onion and the 1 tbsp lime juice juice into the tamarillo sauce. Taste for salt and leave for 10 minutes before serving so the flavours mingle.
2 minStep 6: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Throw it away if it fizzes, smells sour-fermented or grows mould.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 20 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ají de tomate de árbol take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of white or red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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