4 Responses to “Making Ceviche in Quito, Ecuador”

1. Julie says:

   April 18, 2010 at 11:06 am

   If I may I’d like to make a recipe request. I travelled to Ecuador a few years ago and had Aji – it’s a spicy fresh condiment you find on the tables in restaurants. It’s amazing on rice.

   I’ve tried to make my own but I’d love to find out if I’ve gotten it right

   red onion
   garlic
   lime juice
   water
   cilantro
   tomato
   olive oil – I’ve made aji with and without

   Leave overnight in the fridge until the the acid in the lime juice cooks the onions and they are translucent

   Also, if you get a chance; go to the papallacta hot springs. Amazing!
   Oh! and take the Devils’s nose train ride where you ride on top of train

   Reply
   • Jonathan says:

     April 18, 2010 at 7:38 pm

     We didn’t get to the papallacta hot springs, but we did get to the hot springs near Cuenca in the small town of Banos (not the big town of Banos). We really enjoyed staying there at a place called Hosteria Duran (review coming soon).

     Aji…

     The principal ingredient in aji is tomate de arbol, which I’d never seen before coming to Ecuador. Tomate de arbol, red onion, and I’ll Carrie answer the rest…

     Warmest,

     Jonathan

     Reply
   • carrie says:

     April 18, 2010 at 7:44 pm

     Hi Julie,

     You’ve got the basics…but for the 2 most important ingredients, I think you might run into trouble…

     *red onion (thinly sliced, and soaked in salt and lime for 5 minutes)
     *tomate de arbol (tree tomato — it’s very different from regular tomato; you might be able to find it in specialty food markets — it’s a non-exported Ecuadorian fruit, but aji isn’t aji without it.).
     *aji peppers (again, Ecuadorian, but you can use any spicy pepper you like probably, but aji isn’t aji without it.)
     *water
     *garlic (optional, but in my opinion, garlic makes everything better)
     *cilantro

     score the tomatoe de arbol and boil until the skin loosens from the fruit. Peel and add to blender.

     Add other ingredients (except the cilantro and onions) to the blender.

     Blend until smooth.

     Rinse and drain the onions. Add to mixture.

     Add finely chopped cilantro.

     Oil is optional. It just makes the sauce thicker.

     I love aji! It’s wonderful!

     Reply
2. Not So Frequently Asked Questions: part 2 | Travel the world with Carrie and Jonathan! says:

   June 5, 2010 at 12:01 pm

   [...] what part of ecuador does ceviche come from From the same place from which the department of redundancy department was invented [...]

   Reply