Ají panca

Ají panca

What it is

Ají panca ripens to a deep burgundy and is dried rather than eaten fresh, which is why it is barely seen fresh even in Lima markets. It is Peru’s second chilli after ají amarillo and sits at 500 to 1,500 Scoville: the berry-and-smoke depth is the point, not the burn.

In the kitchen

Soak the pods thirty minutes in hot water and blend with a little of that water plus a spoon of vinegar — the acid is what makes an anticucho marinade cling instead of sliding off the meat. Seed them first or the paste stays gritty.

Goes with

Ají amarillo Beef Cumin Garlic Red wine vinegar Oregano Potato

Same species

Ají amarillo Ajvar Aleppo pepper Ancho chilli Bell pepper Byadgi chilli

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