Ají de Gallina w/ Mushrooms

Peruvian comfort food 💛

Hello friends, dropping another Peruvian recipe today but with a bit of a twist so that the vegetarian’s can enjoy it too! This is Ají de Gallina, a dish of shredded chicken in a creamy, yellow pepper sauce, and it is pretty much quintessential Peruvian comfort food. For my version, I swap the chicken for oyster mushrooms, which are surprisingly meaty and add some extra umami to the dish.

This is such a quick recipe too! The traditional version uses soaked bread to thicken the sauce, but I passed on that because the cream sauce I made thickens perfectly without it (also great for the gluten free people). This can totally be made 100% plant-based by using vegan parm and feta, and leaving out the egg as garnish.

Ají de Gallina w/ Mushrooms

Serves 3-4

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• half medium red onion, finely chopped

• 800g oyster mushrooms, torn into thin strips

• pinch salt

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsps aji amarillo paste

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• black pepper to taste

• 1/3 cup grated parm, use plant-based if needed

Cream Sauce:

• 1/4 cup pecans (40g), soaked in hot water for 30 mins and drained

• 50g feta, use plant-based if needed

• 3 tbsps nutritional yeast

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk

To Serve:

• cooked sliced potato, I recommend yukon gold

• black, kalamata or green olives

• hard boiled eggs

• more parm

1. Make the cream sauce: In the container of a high speed blender, add the soaked and drained pecans, feta, nutritional yeast, salt and oat milk. Blend on high until completely smooth.

2. Sauté mushrooms: Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and fry until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil followed by the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir and let the mushrooms cook down for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, turmeric, aji amarillo and black pepper. Stir and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Then pour in the cream sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parm.

4. Serve: Add rice to serving bowls, followed by sliced potato and a few scoops of the ají de gallina. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of parm, 1 halved hard boil egg and a few olives. Enjoy!

Such a classic. I hope you make this one, let me know if you do! See you soon.

Raquel xo

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