Causa limeña

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Quantity: 4 persons. Preparation time: 60 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes. Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Causa limeña is a typical food from Peru, exclusively prepared with one of Peru’s native ingredients: potatoes. This is the main ingredient in the preparation of Causa limeña. It is used to make the purée that we need to prepare an unforgettable limeñazo. Causa limeña can be prepared in any kind of occasion and reunion, and we can decorate it the way we like. In addition, we can accompany it with our favorite drink, and it’s really easy to prepare. It is clear that you can adjust the ingredients the way you like to make this food something even more delicious, but there’s no doubt that we are talking about an exquisite food.

Let’s see how to prepare it!

Causa limeña Peruvian recipe

Ingredients.

• 2,2 lb. of cooked yellow potato.
• 1 c. of vegetable oil.
• 4 – 6 tbsp. of Ají Amarillo.
• 1 fresh and clean lettuce.
• 3.5 oz. of fresh cheese (optional).
• 2 corns (cut into slices).
• 4 black olives (to accompany).
• 4 boiled eggs (cut into slices).

Causa limeña Peruvian recipe

Procedure.

1. Boil the potatoes until they’re cooked. They’ll be used to make the purée.
2. Cool the potatoes to Bain Marie (water bath) and peel immediately. Then, mash them with a pressing machine to get the purée and knead with your hands.
3. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, ají amarillo and oil (mix all together until everything gets yellow). After that, take little portions of mashed potato and give it the form you like.
4. Place the design in a plate and put on egg slices, a lettuce leaf, black olives and pieces of fresh cheese (optional).
5. Finally, accompany it with a Salsa Criolla (creole sauce) over the purée.
6. You can serve it with your favorite drink and enjoy together with the people you admire and love.

Note. Use high quality ingredients.

 

Information box

Causa limeña is generally prepared by people who have years of experience in cuisine, and little people know about it. Even though, it is not a limit to those who are willing to prepare it using the necessary ingredients. Besides, as we always recommend here in Peru – Lima, let’s use high quality ingredients that we like when preparing each one of our wonderful dishes.

Watch, take care and time to promote home-made foodstuff. If you can, sow your own food at home or in a garden; this way, you will protect your family and the environment.

Origins of the name:

According to tradition, its name comes from the Quechua kausay which means ‘necessary sustenance’, ‘food’, or ‘feed’; since that was also the way to refer to potatoes being one of the main food in the time of viceroyalty in Peru.

Another hypothesis suggest that when the liberator José de San Martín came to Peru, the dish was sold in the corners of the streets of Lima to cover the costs of the military campaign; in other words, to support the cause (la causa) of the independence.

Besides, the term ‘causa’ is used by many Peruvians to refer to a close friend, as well as other terms like ‘pata’, ‘yunta’, ‘chochera’, ‘compadre’, and today also the very popular ‘brother’ from English.

Video of the preparation.