Causa Lima Recipe

The cause of Lima is one of the emblematic dishes of the gastronomy of Peru, its most characteristic ingredient is the yellow potato. In fact, outside the borders of this country it is known as the Peruvian cause. Typical of the summer food, it consists of a kind of mashed potato cake filled with chicken or tuna salad with mayonnaise, as well as other vegetables. Generally, the garnish consists of black olives and boiled eggs.

Although laborious to prepare, in RecetasGratis the Lima cause conquered us for two reasons: not only is it a delicious dish, it is also a beautiful dish due to the striking combination of colors. On a yellow base, thanks to the potato and chili cream, the green of the avocados, peppers and beans, and the orange of the carrots contrasts.

Do you want to stand out with a dish that is quite a show? Then keep reading and discover how to make a cause of Lima!

Ingredients to make Causa Lima:

For the mass

 3 yellow peppers

 1 kilogram of yellow potatoes

 3 lemons

 60 milliliters of vegetable oil

 Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

 250 grams of chicken

 2 onions

 1 green bell pepper

 5 chili peppers

 100 grams of mayonnaise

 1 medium avocado, sliced

 1 medium carrot

How to make Causa Lima:

The base of the mass of the Lima cause are potatoes. To make it, remove the peel and bring them to a boil with a little salt until they soften.

Meanwhile, prepare the yellow chili sauce that will serve to add flavor and color to the dough. You just have to chop the peppers, remove the seeds and the veins and cut them into quarters. Bring them to a boil until they soften.

When they are soft, remove the skin and blend the meat.

You will get a sauce with a slightly thick consistency and a nice yellow color. Reserve it.

Now is the time to prepare the chicken of the Peruvian cause. Cook it in water together with one of the onions, the green pepper and the chili peppers. Of course, don't forget the salt. A level scoop is fine, although it is to your liking.

In the same water as the chicken you can boil the beans and carrots. Of course, it is important that nothing is cooked more than it should. When they're done, remove them from the water and shred the chicken completely.

When the potatoes are ready, take advantage of the fact that they are hot to make the dough. Just puree them and try to make it as thin as possible.

Now add all the other ingredients to the puree: the yellow sauce, the oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix very well by kneading with your hands.

Add the shredded chicken together with the other finely chopped onion, the mayonnaise and a little salt and pepper.

The time has come to set up the Lima cause. First, take a portion of the dough and cover the bottom of a mold. Next, place the avocado slices on top of the puree.

Cover the avocado with the chicken mixture.

Take another small portion of batter and cover all the chicken. On top, layer the carrots and green beans.

With the remaining dough, cover the Lima cause well. For the garnish, cut the eggs lengthwise and place them on top of the cause next to the olives. Let it rest a bit in the fridge. This is a dish that is served cold.

If you liked the Causa Lima recipe, we suggest you enter our Potato Recipes category. You can also visit a selection of the best Peruvian recipes.

Causa Lima - Suggestions and other recipes

The Lima cause, known as the Peruvian cause outside of Peru, can also be made from tuna fish instead of chicken. The procedure is similar. Likewise, there are other suggestions that you can take into account when preparing it, here are some:

Don't dump the water off the chicken. This broth can serve as a base for other preparations. Just wait for it to cool down and freeze it.

The other option is to make a soup as a starter for your lunch. In this case, add garlic and coriander.

You can simplify the process by adding the carrots and beans directly on top of the chicken. You can also use frozen vegetables.

Although the original recipe is made with mayonnaise, you have the option of using Greek yogurt if you want to avoid the eggs and fat in the mayonnaise.

If you don't have yellow peppers, try red peppers of that color. The taste is not exactly the same, but it is useful and serves the same purposes.

You can also substitute potatoes if in your area there is not as much variety of this tuber. Just make sure it is somewhat sandy.

And if you want to know more traditional recipes from Peru with chicken, do not hesitate to stop by some of the ones we have in RecetasGratis and suggest new recipes in the comments.

Chicken aguadito

Peruvian baked chicken

Chicken stir fry with holantao

You may be interested to read about the chayote benefits blogpost/ strawberry cheesecake slice recipe/ kiwi jam recipe/ Italian apple cake recipe/ mandarin marmalade recipe.