Destination
Arequipa
The story
Causa a la limeña is Lima's most photogenic potato dish: a layered cold terrine of whipped yellow potato (papa amarilla), spiked aggressively with fresh lime juice, ají amarillo paste, oil and salt, then layered in a mould around a filling of tuna or chicken salad, unmoulded onto a plate and cut into wedges like a cake. Served cold as an entrée or a light lunch, topped with sliced avocado, hard-boiled egg, black olives and a sprig of parsley. Sold at every Peruvian menú corriente lunch counter, every Lima fonda, and every home for a light supper. The name causa comes from an old Peruvian word meaning "cause" or "reason" — folk etymology says it was named after fundraisers held "por la causa" (for the cause) during the 19th-century wars.
Method
Boil the whole potatoes (skins on) in salted water 25 to 30 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and let cool 5 minutes.
Peel the potatoes while still warm (the skins slip off easily). Mash smooth with a potato ricer or a fine masher — no lumps allowed. The mash must be hot for the whipping stage.
In a large bowl, combine the hot mashed potato with lime juice, ají amarillo paste, oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Whip vigorously with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with paddle attachment for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth, glossy and slightly elastic. The whipping is essential — under-whipped potato has a crumbly texture that won't hold in a terrine.
Taste. Adjust with more lime (should be sharp), salt or ají amarillo. The base should taste more acidic and more chili-forward than plain mashed potato — it needs to hold its flavour after chilling.
Combine tuna (or chicken) with mayo, onion, celery, lime, parsley and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
Line a rectangular loaf tin (about 22 x 10cm) with cling film, leaving 10cm overhang all round. Press half the potato base into the tin to form an even bottom layer (about 2cm thick). Spread the filling over the potato, leaving 5mm border. Cover with the rest of the potato base as a top layer.
Fold the cling film over the top. Press down gently to compact. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (up to overnight). To unmould: peel back the cling film top, invert onto a serving platter, lift off the tin, peel away the cling film.
Top the terrine with fan-arranged avocado slices, hard-boiled egg quarters, black olives and parsley leaves. Pipe extra mayonnaise across the top in decorative lines if you want the fonda look. Cut into 6 wedges with a very sharp knife dipped in warm water between cuts. Serve cold with lime wedges and radish slices on the side.
Tips
- Papa amarilla is best. This specifically Peruvian yellow potato has the right dry-buttery texture. Any Latino grocer stocks it frozen or fresh. Yellow potato (Yukon Gold, papa canaria) is the practical substitute.
- Whip while hot. Cold mashed potato won't take the seasoning or emulsify the oil. Peel, mash and whip in a continuous sequence.
- Whip long. Three to four minutes of vigorous whipping is what gives causa its smooth, elastic texture. Under-whipped causa crumbles when sliced.
- Cling-film lined tin. Do not skip. Getting causa out of a tin without cling film is nearly impossible. The overhang lets you lift the whole terrine cleanly.
- Chill at least 2 hours. Warm causa slumps. Two hours is the minimum for holding shape; overnight is better if serving for a party.
More recipes
View all
Raw white fish "cooked" in fresh lime juice with red onion, ají amarillo and coriander, served with sweet potato and choclo corn. Peru's national dish.
Yellow corn masa filled with chicken, ají panca and a wedge of hard-boiled egg, steamed in banana leaves. Lima's Sunday-morning tamal, served with salsa criolla.
Shredded chicken in a creamy, faintly nutty yellow sauce built on ají amarillo, bread and evaporated milk. Lima's Sunday-lunch comfort dish.
Long-grain rice cooked with prawns, squid, mussels and clams in an ají amarillo, tomato and coriander sofrito. Peru's answer to paella.
Beef stir-fried hard in a wok with red onion, tomato, ají amarillo and soy, plated with rice and hot fried potatoes. Peru's most-loved Chifa dish.
Peruvian-Chinese fried rice adapted for the Amazon: pork, chorizo, palm heart and river fish stir-fried into aromatic rice with a spoon of ají charapita. Iquitos on a plate.