Causa Limeña (Peruvian Layered Potato Cake)
Riced yellow potatoes kneaded with lime juice, oil and ají amarillo into a bright yellow dough, layered with chicken in mayonnaise and avocado, chilled and topped with egg and olives.
Causa is mashed potato served cold. Wikipedia calls causa limeña a Peruvian appetizer with pre-Columbian roots: the ancient version was yellow potato kneaded with crushed chili, and lime was added in the colonial era to make the modern dish. Its name is DISPUTED. One theory links it to the Quechua word kawsay, "necessary sustenance" or "life", also used for the potato; others say it was sold on Lima street corners to raise money "for the cause" of José de San Martín's independence campaign, or that women served it to soldiers during the War of the Pacific (Wikipedia). Fillings run from tuna and chicken to crab and octopus. Peru's official tourism site publishes a chicken causa, which we adapt.
Why it works the kitchen science
Cool before you season
Kneading the lime and ají into potatoes that have cooled keeps the dough firm and bright, and the starch holds the oil like a dough instead of turning gluey.
Oil as glue
Half a cup of oil makes the riced potato pliable enough to spread and stack into clean layers that slice neatly when cold.
Step by step
- Step 1
Put the potatoes in a large pot with the half lime, cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil over high heat and simmer gently over medium-low 20 to 25 minutes, until tender but not splitting.
- Step 2
Drain, peel while warm and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Add salt to taste, the lime juice, oil and ají amarillo paste, and knead with a spatula or your hands until smooth and evenly yellow. If it is dry or cracks, work in another tablespoon of oil. It should taste tangy and gently hot.
- Step 4
Mix the chicken with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Lightly oil an 8-inch square dish and line it with plastic wrap. Press in half the potato dough in an even layer, spread the chicken over it and lay the avocado slices on top.
- Step 6
Cover with the rest of the dough and smooth it gently. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until firm.
- Step 7
Turn the causa out onto a platter lined with lettuce, peel off the plastic, and decorate with egg slices, olives, tomato and parsley. Cut into squares and serve cold.
Causa Limeña (Peruvian Layered Potato Cake)
Serves 6 · one 8-inch square causa · 1 hr 5 min total
Potato dough
- 3 1/4 lb (1.5 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, similar size
- Salt
- 1/2 lime, for the cooking water
- 1/3 cup lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
- 3 tbsp ají amarillo paste, or to taste
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 oz)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Garnish
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 8 black olives (Peruvian botija or kalamata), halved
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 thin tomato slices
- Lettuce leaves
Method
- Put the potatoes in a large pot with the half lime, cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil over high heat and simmer gently over medium-low 20 to 25 minutes, until tender but not splitting.
- Drain, peel while warm and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Add salt to taste, the lime juice, oil and ají amarillo paste, and knead with a spatula or your hands until smooth and evenly yellow. If it is dry or cracks, work in another tablespoon of oil. It should taste tangy and gently hot.
- Mix the chicken with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly oil an 8-inch square dish and line it with plastic wrap. Press in half the potato dough in an even layer, spread the chicken over it and lay the avocado slices on top.
- Cover with the rest of the dough and smooth it gently. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until firm.
- Turn the causa out onto a platter lined with lettuce, peel off the plastic, and decorate with egg slices, olives, tomato and parsley. Cut into squares and serve cold.
Adapted from "Causa", Peru's official tourism site (Peru.travel, PromPerú branding). It gives 1.5 kg yellow potatoes, 1/2 cup oil, juice of 3 to 4 limes, 3 blended yellow ají peppers, 1 shredded chicken breast, mayonnaise (the amount is garbled on the page; we use 1/2 cup), 4 boiled eggs, 8 olives, parsley, tomato and lettuce, with no times or serving count. We use Yukon Gold for Peru's papa amarilla, jarred ají amarillo paste for fresh ají, add avocado (Wikipedia lists it as a common addition) and call it 6 servings. Every time is ours. Peru Travel (PromPerú). Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Peru.travel's roll version: spread all the dough on plastic wrap, add the filling and roll it up like a jelly roll.
- Tuna mixed with mayonnaise and lime is the other classic filling.
- Keep causa refrigerated until serving; it holds chicken, egg and mayonnaise.
- Never use a food processor for the dough; a ricer keeps it smooth without gumminess.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The name comes from "for the cause". Disputed: Wikipedia records the San Martín fundraising story and the War of the Pacific story alongside the Quechua kawsay theory, and does not settle it. Name all three.
- Causa is pre-Columbian. Disputed: Wikipedia says its roots are pre-Columbian but the modern dish, with lime, took shape in the colonial era; search summaries call it a 19th-century Lima invention.
- It must be papa amarilla. Folklore: Peruvian yellow potatoes are traditional (Wikipedia; Peru.travel), but Yukon Gold is the standard swap abroad.
- Mayonnaise is traditional. Disputed: Peru.travel's chicken causa uses mayonnaise; Wikipedia lists mayonnaise as a common addition rather than a traditional ingredient.
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