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One of my favorite food items in the world is this potato tuna casserole from Peru called la causa. Some say  la causa was handed down from the Incas and derived from their Quechua word for potato “kausaq,” meaning sustenance of life. I remember trying it for the first time when I worked at my first corporate gig in Southern California. One of my co-workers (not Peruvian) asked if I wanted to put an order in for Causa. “What’s that?” I asked. She said it’s the best thing ever, and she was not wrong.

I would order Causa on a weekly basis. The restaurant served it in a massive clamshell container with enough servings to last 2-3 days. It was also only $10. I eventually moved on from that job and would try to go back to the restaurant that served it for them to tell me they only have it once a week, don’t take special orders anymore and only serve Causa on specific days. The day I went in was not one of those days. I eventually moved from California to Seattle, Washington and I forgot about Causa for a while.

While living in Seattle, my partner and I found cheap tickets to Chile. We decided to also head over to Peru to visit Machu Picchu. What we found was a mecca of delicious food. Every restaurant had its own take of traditional Peruvian dishes, and nothing disappointed. I fell in love again with Causa and had it multiple times before the trip was over.

What inspired me to make my own Causa was a pile of potatoes on my counter. I signed up for Imperfect Produce and get a ton of veggies and fruits delivered to my home for 30-50% off retail price. I decided to make Causa because that means I would be able to use up my potatoes. You can read my Imperfect Produce review here.

I followed a recipe online and made some changes so that it appealed to my palette. Throughout the cooking process, I tasted my layers every step of the way to ensure my causa would be exactly how I preferred it to be. Below is my Causa recipe I’d love to share with you! Feel free to modify it to match your personal preferences and taste.

Peruvian Causa Recipe

It’s time to cook! I recommend following the recipe below and always adding what you think you need to complete the dish. Cooking is a very personal experience. All my produce came from my Imperfect Produce box.

[mv_create key=”2″ type=”recipe” title=”Peruvian Causa Potato Tuna Casserole” thumbnail=”false”]Here are pictures of the aji chili and tuna I used in my recipe. We purchased it from a local Latino grocery store on the East Side in Bellevue, Washington. You can also click on the photos to buy them online. For the potatoes, I found it best to use a potato ricer from Village Bakery to turn it into a fine paste.

Aji Amarillo Paste in Jar

Making Causa was easier than I imagined. I remember restaurants telling me they don’t serve it every day because it takes so long to prepare. The prep time was pretty fast and the only thing I could think of that made this recipe inconvenient was that you could not eat it right away. I prefer to eat it as soon as I made it so that it is warm.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my take on Peruvian causa. Please let me know if you had any successes with it. I’d love to hear from you!

If you liked this post, you might like these too:

• 5+ Simple Imperfect Produce Recipes
• Easy Thai Panang Curry Recipe
• How to Fall in Love with Lima: Travel Guide to Lima, Peru
• Guide to Traveling to Machu Picchu
• Imperfect Produce Review and Reveal (March 2018)

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