To begin making many Peruvian foods, you must first choose the ingredients for a aderezo, since based on it depends, in great measure, the taste that you will obtain for your dish.
Garlic is one of the most important ingredients for a good aderezo. Many people use this because it has a strong flavor and is a bit picante, as we say, or spicy like hot peppers. The best way to use the garlic is to mince it into small bits so that its flavor can infuse your dish and give it that special touch.
Onion and tomato can also be taken as important ingredients for an aderezo since for the majority of our soups these are indispensable. Just like garlic, onion can be diced finely or you can use larger cuts and even blend it. Unlike the onion, the tomato has a gentler flavor and when the two are sautéed together the mixture becomes just a bit sweet.
Pepper and cumin are a commonly used duo to season your aderezo. These ingredients can be found in any supermarket, market, or store. You can find them already ground. You add first a small amount of the one, and then of the other to get a unique flavor. But if you add too much of the one and less of the other your flavor can be too spicy and will not be pleasant.
As a result, all of these ingredients tend to enter together. You first lay down in your pan a light layer of oil, whichever you prefer, then the garlic, onions, and tomatoes. To this you add the pepper and cumin and let cook on a regular flame, stirring it so it does not brown. After some 3 or 4 minutes it is all ready to be used as the beginning of a large variety of dishes.
The final ingredient that must not be lacking is salt. It imparts a special touch to your dishes, depending on how much you add. Most cooks do not follow written recipes, rather they have it all in their heads and they taste as they add salt to know exactly how much they need.
There is also a product called Sibarita that has a small amount of garlic, cumin, and tomato. Its color is red and you add it to your onion while sautéeing to try to give it the same flavor we get with the earlier combination. In any case, this aderezo is the base of flavor for a great many Peruvian dishes.
