I would like to start by saying that I first ate at El Pollo Inka about 10-12 years ago. I was living in and around Los Angeles and had a friend who took me there one day. From that day on I was HOOKED!!! I had to have it once or twice a week in the beginning!!! As the years went by I would still eat there at least twice a month (even if it was just their Chicken fried Rice and bread to go). I would often drive 25-30 minutes there and 25-30 minutes back to get the chicken Fried Rice for lunch and have to eat it in the car while I was driving (not recommended). Every single person that came into town for a visit would be “dragged” to El Pollo Inka and would ALWAYS be hooked!!! I too would buy the take home Aji sauce. I would sometimes go there for dinner and then order another whole dish for take home and Aji to go with it. I would then eat the take home (usually the Fried Rice) for lunch the next day and then use the rest of the Aji sauce to place on sandwiches or anything else that worked (and a lot did). I used to frequent the Inka in Gardena the most and got to know some of the people who worked there pretty well (“anything else to go with your Chicken Fried Rice was a running joke with two of the servers there”). I too was told that it (Aji) was pretty simple and that it was a “lot of green lettuce and some mayo and chilis and you put it in a blender”. BUT, every time I would press for the actual ingredients, and quantities, and how to prepare it, I would get a laugh and a head shake and the same couple ingredients and then they would walk away or something.
All I have to say is this…I am going to make a trip down to Miami this year and the #1 reason I am going there is because they have an El Pollo Inka there!!!