Causa Puno

Chef Martin Morales' causa (a Peruvian cold mashed-potato salad), excerpted from his new cookbook Andina, is a lovely balance of texture, color, and flavor.

“Purple potato, tuna and rocoto pepper causa. Causas are cold mashed-potato salads, topped usually with avocado and other ingredients. We love making them, and this one has been a real favorite as a result of its balance of textures, colors, and flavors. You can use cooked octopus or any other fresh fish instead of tuna, if you prefer.”– Martin Morales

Recipe excerpted with permission from Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food by Martin Morales, published by Quadrille. Click here to purchase your own copy.

Ingredients

200 grams purple potatoes or regular floury potatoes
3 tablespoon ají amarillo paste
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few purple shiso leaves or small basil leaves, to decorate
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Tuna Tartare

50 milliliters rocoto tiger’s milk, plus extra (optional) for drizzling
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
150 grams tuna fillet, chilled and finely chopped

For the Avocado Purée

1 large ripe avocado
a squeeze of lime juice

For the Ají Amarillo Paste

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 ají amarillos, or 2 medium-heat red chiles and 1/2 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

For the Rocoto Tiger’s Milk

5 milliliter slice of ginger, bruised
1 garlic clove, halved and bruised
4 coriander sprigs, roughly chopped
Juice of 12 limes, plus extra to taste
1/2 rocoto pepper or 2 medium-heat red chiles, deseeded and chopped

Serves 4

Preparation

First, cook the potatoes. Leave them in their skins, put them in a large saucepan and cover them with water. Put the pan over a high heat and bring to the boil, then cook the potatoes until just tender (about 15–20 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and drain. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and mash the flesh. Add the chile paste to the mash, along with the lime juice and olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Allow to cool.
To make the tuna tartare, whisk together the rocoto tiger’s milk and the mayonnaise, then season with salt and pepper. Add the tuna and stir to combine, then cover and leave the tartare to chile in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
To make the avocado purée, halve the avocado, remove the stone and peel the halves. Put the avocado flesh with the squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
To assemble the dish, divide the potato mixture into 4 equal portions and shape each into a round patty, like a burger. Place one patty on each of 4 plates. Spoon a quarter of the avocado purée on top of each patty, then top with equal portions of the tuna tartare and drizzle with a little more rocoto tiger’s milk, if you wish. Decorate with the shiso leaves and serve immediately.
For the ají amarillo paste, heat the oil in a small frying pan over a low–medium heat. Fry the onion for 7–8 minutes until soft, but not browned, then add the garlic and chile (or alternative) and fry for 2–3 minutes more to soften. Season with salt to taste, then allow to cool completely. When cool, blitz to a smooth paste, then set aside until needed. (You can store any leftover in an airtight container the fridge for up to 1 week.)
To make the rocoto tiger’s milk, put the ginger, garlic, coriander and lime juice in a bowl. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes, then strain. Add the rocoto pepper or chile to the liquid and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice as necessary.

Martin Morales

Martin Morales is the award winning, pioneering Peruvian chef, restaurateur and founder of Peruvian restaurants Ceviche Soho, Andina in Shoreditch, Ceviche Old St and Casita Andina. He is the author of the bestselling cookbook Ceviche Peruvian Kitchen - Sunday Times Cookbook of the Year. Martin is known as the pioneer of Peruvian food in London and alongside his cooking, Martin is involved in a variety of music and arts projects including running Ceviche Old St Gallery – featuring Peru’s top 50 contemporary artists, and his own Peruvian music label, Tiger’s Milk Records. He is a trustee for the Peruvian children’s charity, Amantani and previously worked with Steve Jobs when Martin worked at Apple as the founding member and head of iTunes Pan Europe. He was also head of Disney Music, ran record label for EMI, was a globetrotting club DJ and has also worked with Ferran Adria, Miley Cyrus, The White Stripes and The Muppets among others.

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Causa Puno

Chef Martin Morales' causa (a Peruvian cold mashed-potato salad), excerpted from his new cookbook Andina, is a lovely balance of texture, color, and flavor.

Ingredients

For the Tuna Tartare

For the Avocado Purée

a squeeze of lime juice

For the Ají Amarillo Paste

For the Rocoto Tiger’s Milk

Preparation

Martin Morales

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