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Put on Your Cake Pants

From the kitchen of a semi-vegetarian with a serious sweet tooth

Aji Burrito Bowls

aji burrito bowlsaji burrito bowls

Have you ever been to a Peruvian restaurant? If you have, then you’ve likely encountered an enchantingly spicy green sauce made from cilantro and jalapeños, often called aji sauce, and let me tell you – it’s downright addictive. I first had it at a restaurant in southern California named El Pollo Inka. I’ve been to El Pollo Inka a number of times over the years while visiting family in the area, but after moving across the country and craving it more times than I’d care to admit, I finally had to try making my favorite dish—a stir-fry of chicken, green beans, tomatoes, and onions—and of course, some aji sauce, at home. And it was glorious. So glorious, in fact, that I decided to take the aji sauce and use it to transform a burrito bowl into a sort of pan-Latin American meal, with sweet potatoes, Cuban black beans, queso fresco, and avocados! You can throw in some shredded meat if you prefer, but these aji burrito bowls are perfectly toothsome and satisfying in their vegetarian form as well.

aji burrito bowls

Now, a couple of notes! First, this recipe will probably yield more aji sauce than you need for the burrito bowls, but it’s easy to use up leftovers by adding it to basic chicken or rice dishes, putting it on salads, or in any number of other ways. Second, I feel it’s my duty to warn you that this sauce is not for the weak of taste buds: if you can’t stomach raw garlic (or you’re hoping to get some lip action from your special someone later on), go light on the sauce!

aji burrito bowls

Aji Burrito Bowls
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Total Time
50 min
Total Time
50 min
Aji green sauce
  1. 1/8 head of iceberg lettuce (about 1/8 pound), shredded
  2. 1 avocado, diced
  3. 2 jalapeños, diced
  4. 2 green onions, chopped
  5. 1/4 bunch of cilantro
  6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  8. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  9. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Burrito bowls
  1. 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
  2. 3 cups vegetable broth
  3. 2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
  4. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  5. 1 15-ounce can black beans
  6. 2-3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
  7. 2 avocados, diced
  8. salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. For the aji sauce, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package, but substitute vegetable broth for the water. This will most likely call for two parts liquid for every one part rice, so 3 cups of vegetable broth should do it.
  4. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly browned.
  5. Once the rice and sweet potatoes are done cooking, it’s time to assemble the bowls. Heat the black beans in the microwave, and then layer the rice, sweet potatoes, black beans, and avocado in bowls. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and drizzle with aji sauce.
Notes
  1. I use Trader Joe’s Cuban Style Black Beans.
  2. If you do not like raw garlic, I recommend either toasting or sautéing the garlic before adding it to the food processor.
  3. Sauce recipe adapted from The Kremer Family
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Comments

  2. I don’t believe I’ve had aji sauce before, but it looks delicious and tempting. I like seeing all these healthy ingredients in this burrito bowl and the colors are just so appetizing!

    Reply

    • Thanks! Yes, I like that these burrito bowls are healthy and not too heavy – as much as I love Chipotle burrito bowls, I always end up in a food coma after eating one, but that’s definitely not the case here!

      Reply

  3. This Kaunda and look so delicious and so my kinda meal. That’s Aji sauce sounds appetizing. A new sauce for me. Will be trying soon. Have never hear for seen lettuce berg in a sauce! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • Thanks! Ooh yes, butternut squash would be amazing in this as well. I have to admit, I usually tend towards sweet potatoes because I’m always afraid I’m going to chop off a finger while cutting up squash…(advice??)

      Reply

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