Hi Dave, The basic ingredients of llajua are tomato, locoto, wacataya or quirquina and salt. You can tailor the llajua to your preference for spiciness. Use more tomatoes for a milder llajua or more locoto for a spicier version.
I typically use jalapenos instead of locoto because jalapenos are so readily available but as Bella mentioned, habanero are tasty as well as serrano. There is also a product sold by Inca Foods which is a rocoto paste in a jar. Rocotos are different than locotos but are very tasty and spicy so they make a great substitute. There is another product called locoto en polvo that I like to use as well.
A day without llajua is like a day without Bella and Noly!
Dec 19, 2010
how to make llajua by: BoliviaBella
Hi Dave! Llajua is the very first recipe Chef Noly shared with us when she began collaborating with BoliviaBella. You can find her recipe here about half-way down the page: Llajua recipe She uses wacataya - for perfect llajua, you can order wacataya from Chef Noly's website here.
P.S. In Bolivia we use a different hot pepper called LOCOTO but you can't find it in the U.S. so I used to buy one of the hottest peppers in the world at Mexican markets - it's called the "chile habanero". Also, I usually add garlic and onion to my llajua (not that that's traditional or normal here in Bolivia).
