Ají panca is a mild, dark red-brown Peruvian chilli, used dried or as a paste. Berry-like, smoky and sweet with little heat, it colours and flavours anticuchos, adobos and many Peruvian stews.
What it is¶
Ají panca is, after ají amarillo, the most used chilli in Peruvian cooking. It is sold almost entirely dried: long pods, 8–13 cm, that ripen red on the plant and dry to a deep burgundy or reddish brown. Its botanical classification is less settled than its culinary role; it is usually described as Capsicum chinense, but some sources place it in C. baccatum, the species of the ají amarillo.
Heat is low, roughly 500–1,500 SHU, and ají panca is used for colour and flavour rather than burn: a berry-like, sweet, gently smoky depth that gives many Peruvian marinades and stews their dark red colour. Outside Peru it is most often sold as a smooth, dark red paste.
Origins and history¶
Chillies have been grown on the Peruvian coast for thousands of years; remains have been found at ancient coastal sites, and the Quechua uchu was a staple seasoning in the Inca period. Ají panca as a named type is a mainstay of coastal Creole (criollo) cooking, which grew up in Lima and other cities after the Spanish conquest by combining Andean ingredients with those of Spanish, African and, later, Chinese and Japanese cooks. Its use in anticuchos (grilled beef-heart skewers) is often linked to the cooking of enslaved Africans in colonial Lima, who made use of offal; the dish is a Lima street food to this day. See peruvian cuisine.
Flavour and aroma¶
Ají panca tastes of red berries and dried fruit, with a gentle sweetness, a light smoky note (though it is not smoked) and a faint earthiness. The heat is mild and soft. Its closest relatives in flavour are Mexican dried chillies such as guajillo, though it is sweeter and less tangy, and less deep and raisiny than an ancho.
In the kitchen¶
- Anticuchos: beef heart (or other meat) cut into cubes, marinated in ají panca paste, red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin and oregano, threaded onto skewers and grilled, basted with the marinade. Served with potatoes and corn.
- Adobo arequipeño: pork marinated in ají panca, chicha de jora (maize beer) or vinegar and spices, then slow-cooked; a Sunday breakfast in Arequipa.
- Pollo a la brasa: ají panca is a common ingredient in marinades for Peru's rotisserie chicken.
- Stews: carapulcra (dried potato stew) and many picantes and secos use ají panca for colour and depth.
- Seafood: in chupe and fish stews, and marinades for grilled octopus.
Making paste: stem and deseed 6–8 dried pods, soak in hot water for 20–30 minutes (or simmer 10 minutes) until soft, then blend with a little oil and a splash of the soaking water until smooth. Sieve if the skins are tough. Keeps a week in the fridge, or freeze in portions. See rehydrating dried chillies.
💡 Anticucho marinade
For 500 g meat: 3 tbsp ají panca paste, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 3 cloves garlic (crushed), 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp oil and salt. Marinate for at least 2 hours, and grill over high heat for 2–3 minutes a side.
Buying and storing¶
Dried pods should be supple and dark, with no pale patches or holes; store airtight in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Opened jarred paste keeps for a few weeks in the fridge; homemade paste for about a week, or months frozen. Powder fades within a few months.
Substitutes¶
- Guajillo: similar colour and mild heat, tangier.
- Ancho: sweeter and deeper; a mix of ancho and guajillo is a good match.
- New Mexico or California dried red chillies: milder, earthier.
- In a pinch, sweet paprika with a little smoked paprika for colour, though the flavour is thinner.
Pairs well with¶
Garlic, cumin, oregano, red wine vinegar, ají amarillo, beef heart, pork, chicken, octopus, potatoes, corn, onion and lime.
Growing your own¶
Ají panca seed is sold by some specialist suppliers. Grow it like other long-season chillies: sow indoors in February at 22–27°C and grow on in a greenhouse or polytunnel in Britain, as the plants need a long, warm season to ripen their pods fully. Stake plants, which can grow tall. Leave pods on the plant until fully red and beginning to wrinkle, then dry in a warm, airy place or a low oven (about 50°C) until leathery and dark. See growing chillies.