Potato Causa: a recipe from Peru
Causa is another great (generally) gluten-free dish from the Peruvian cuisine and I couldn't wait to share it. The most common version I found is made of 2 medium disks of mash potato, with a filling of chicken salad, tuna or avocado.
The recipe below is a vegetarian version, inspired by the book Cocina Peruana from Martin Morales. A great inspiration and guide to explore some of the best Peruvian food.
Ingredients (4 servings)
600 gr yellow potatoes
2 tsp Aji Amarillo paste (Recipe here LINK)
10-20 cilantro leaves (to taste)
50 gr sweet potato
50 ml olive oil
100 gr carrot
100 gr beetroot (pre-cooked)
1/2 shallot or small red onion
2 tbsp mayo
1 small chili pepper
1 cm ginger
1 avocado
To start, cook the potatoes in a pot with water or in a steamer until soft (pierce it with a fork to check). Let them cool down then peel them. Blend the cilantro leaves with a bit of water, or crush them with a mortar.
Transfer the potatoes in a bowl and mash them. Add the Aji paste, the cilantro mix and the olive oil little by little while mixing the potato mash for a little bit. Set aside.
Cook the carrot in boiling water for about 20 minutes, let it cool and cut in cubes (5-10 mm). Cut the beetroot in cubes of the same size. In a little bowl combine the carrot, beetroot, mayo, thinly chopped onion, thinly chopped chili pepper and grated ginger.
Separately, cut the avocado in 2 halves and cut it in small pieces. Cut the sweet potato in thin strings and shallow fry them in a little pan.
Now you’re ready to combine your causa. Onto the serving plate, create a disk of potato mash with a kitchen ring (7 cm approximately). Then place 1/4 of the avocado bites and, on top of that, 1/4 of the beetroot-carrot mix. Garnish with the fried sweet potato and, if you like, some cilantro leaves.
TIPS: You can preserve this dish for maximum 1 day, better if the 3 layers are separate and not assembled yet.
Have you tried it? Do you have any suggestions? Leave your comment!
