Peruvian cuisine is quite possibly my favorite part of South America to fall into. There is a clear European influence along with Incan indigenous roots. For that reason, it collides two of my favorite worlds together. The posh and polished land of European plating, balanced by the rural and rustic bones of indigenous recipes. I have this constant polar pull in my life, where I’m attracted the the fancy chic parts of life, but then there’s this other side of me that needs to be lost on a dirt road driving a motorbike looking for $2 street dishes. There’s a lot of moments in life where you have to pick a side… this is not one of them.
What is Causa Limeña?
Causa Limeña is a traditional Peruvian appetizer served cold and popular in the city of Lima. It is a mixture of vibrant yellow mashed potatoes and cold salad. The cold salad is often chicken salad or some seafood salad like tuna. Causa Limeña is infused with Peruvian peppers and lime, making this cold appetizer perfect for summertime. Trying this dish for the first time honestly made me get up and dance around my kitchen. It is unlike anything I have ever tasted, and being served cold completely balances out the aji amarillo spicy kick.
Tower Construction
My initial attraction to this dish was for its visual aesthetics. I often beat myself up over not cooking enough Latin American dishes, but the truth is that they intimidate me. So much of Latin cuisine is rooted in meat, so when I cook a traditional Latin dish and turn it vegan… I want to do it right. The construction of this dish is done in layers…
- 1st Layer: Aji Amarillo Infused Mashed Potatoes
- 2nd Layer: Sliced Avocado
- 3rd Layer: Chickpea Salad (traditionally chicken or seafood salad)
- 4th Layer: Aji Amarillo Infused Mashed Potatoes
- Topped: Black Olives, Peppers, or parsley
- Serve: Lime Crema
What is Aji Amarillo?
Make your mashed potatoes however you typically would for this recipe. There is one special ingredient we are going to add though and that’s aji amarillo marinade. Aji amarillo is a hot yellow pepper from Peru and absolutely essential for this dish. Ideally you are going to get an aji amarillo marinate or paste for this dish. I was able to easily find a bottle of the marinate at Marianos (Krogers). By all means, if by some grace from God you find a batch of fresh aji amarillo peppers and want to make your own paste… go wild. You know I’m all for making our own condiments and sauces here.
Serving and Presentation
I highly recommend using a cooking ring for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can also use a small cylinder bowl lined with plastic wrap. Pack and smooth the layers tightly when constructing your tower. Construct the dish on the plate that you are going to serve it on. Plating and presentation is one of my favorite parts of cooking. I have screwed up this dish once before by trying to move it from plate to plate, so for that reason I say just construct it where you plan to serve it. Let it chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even overnight. Top it with a plant-based sour cream mixed with some fresh lime juice.
Peru has so many layers to its culture and cuisine. Anthony Bourdain once described it as having an alluring and magical ancient history along with a booming food scene. To daydream of Peru is to daydream of hiking through time in the Incan ruins, and then being slapped back to reality in seaside Lima as the Pacific Ocean breeze hit your face.
