Chilean Pebre Recipe
Pebre is a South American condiment from Chile that incorporates the wonderful aji chili pepper, and is quite delicious. Here is the recipe.
A recipe for Pebre, a Chilean condiment made with Aji Chili Peppers, olive oil, garlic, cilantro and more. It is very fresh and can be used in many different ways, such as a sauce, dipper, spread and more. It is much like Chile’s answer to pico de gallo.
You’ll find this sauce everywhere in Chile, served on a wide variety of dishes, in both homes and restaurants. As with any sort of regional sauce, there are variations from place to place, depending on who is making it.
Pebre at its core, though, is a mixture of cilantro, garlic, onion, olive oil, and aji chili peppers, which I love. It’s fairly similar to chimichurri.
Serving Ideas for Chilean Pebre
Pebre can be used to spice up just about anything. Consider spooning it over boiled potatoes for some zing, or drizzling it over grilled meats, particularly chicken or a good steak.
Let’s talk about how we make it, shall we?
Ingredients Needed
- 5 Aji Chili Peppers chopped (we used Aji Amarillos)
- 1/2 small to medium-sized onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic lightly pan roasted
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar is good, too)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Some optional additions include lemon juice and red chili flakes for some heat. Although non-traditional, you can also add in some sort of hot sauce, like sriracha, for added zing.
How to Make Pebre Sauce – the Recipe Method
First, finely chop up your aji peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro.
Add the ingredients to a food processor along with vinegar, oil, and a few dashes of salt and pepper.
Process it to a consistency you prefer, either smooth or chunky. You can always splash in a bit of cold water to thin it out if you’d like. Most people make it chunkier, like a pico de gallo salsa, but some prefer it more like a sauce, which is more popular in Northern Chile.
You can make it without the food processor, though. Just chop everything up nice and fine and stir it all together in a bowl, then serve it up!
It should last a week in the fridge, sealed.
About Aji Chili Peppers
Also known generally as the Peruvian hot pepper, “aji” is the common name primarily in South America and areas of the Caribbean for chili peppers.
Aji Chili Peppers have an interesting history, represented in the way that the cuisine that has most taken to this particular pepper. It is most well loved in Peru, where the pepper shows up in a variety of dishes and is often served at the table as a condiment aside red onion and garlic.
The word “ají” is actually a word used in the Caribbean to refer to this particular plant, but the name became so widespread that this is what it is known as in most of the world. “Ají amarillo” literally translates to “yellow chili” in Spanish, which is the color that this pepper turns while cooked.
The mature pods of an ají pepper are actually bright orange.
They can also range quite a bit in heat, depending on the variety, from 1,177 – 75,000 Scoville Heat Units, so choose your aji peppers accordingly.
Learn more about Aji Chili Peppers, including the many different types. Also, learn more about the Scoville Scale here.
Recipe Variation
If you add tomatoes and make this in a molcajete or with a mortar and pestle, you will have another popular Chilean salsa recipe called Chancho en piedra, which is a version of pebre. Give it a try. Delicious!
Try My Other Popular Recipes Like This One
- Green Chimichurri (Chimichurri Verde)
- Red Chimichurri (Chimichurri Rojo)
- Zhug
- Chermoula
- Salsa Verde
- Italian Pesto
- Ajvar
- Pico de Gallo
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chilean Pebre Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Aji Chili Peppers chopped (we used Aji Amarillos)
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic lightly pan roasted
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor, but reserve about 1/2 of the olive oil.
- Blend until mixture begins to smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil and blend to your desired consistency.
- Refrigerate about 2 hours to allow flavors to mingle.
- Serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was updated on 1/20/19 to include new photos. It was originally published on 5/1/2014.
5 comments
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Can you suggest a substitute for Aji as we do not have any chillis by that name in South Africa
Norman, you can also try other peppers, such as the yellow bell pepper for a no heat version. If you do want some heat, use a mix of peppers, such as a yellow bell along with part of or a whole habanero or Scotch Bonnet. Let me know if this helps.
Thanks Mike, will give it a try.
Regards.
Norman Johnston
If I could lick my screen I would…. But my boss would frown upon drooling all over the work computers… I would kill for some of this right now. Thank you for sharing
Need to find me some Aji in South Africa… ?
Haha, yes! Don’t get in trouble with the boss.