UCHUCUTA SAUCE (ANDEAN GREEN HERB AND CHILE SAUCE)

Uchucuta Sauce (Andean Green Herb and Chile Sauce) image

Uchucuta means ground chiles in the Quechua language. The main ingredients in a traditional sour and spicy sauce include the hard-to-find Peruvian huacatay and other wild herbs. I have improvised without them, using mint, cilantro, oregano, tarragon and parsley. If you can ever find huacatay, add a handful to the other herbs as today's Peruvians do. This delicious sauce may be spooned over eggs, grilled or roasted meats, and even grilled vegetables. I even love it on boiled potatoes. It lasts well in the refrigerator for 3 days. Extra sauce may be frozen for a month.

Provided by Madhur Jaffrey

Time 10m

Yield About 1 1/2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 loosely packed cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 loosely packed cups cilantro leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves
1 loosely packed cup fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice plus a little more, if needed
2 to 3 fresh, hot green chiles, chopped (See Note)
1/4 cup chopped feta cheese
2 tablespoons peanut butter, preferably organic and freshly made
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Steps:

Wash the parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint and tarragon in deep water. Lift out of the water but leave some clinging to the leaves. Put in a blender with the lime juice, 4 tablespoons water, the chiles and the feta. Blend, pushing down with a rubber spatula as needed.
When you have a smooth blend, add the peanut butter and salt. Blend again to mix thoroughly. Check the balance of salt, heat and sourness. Add more herbs, chiles or lime juice if needed.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 162, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 328 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams