Peruvian Causa de Pollo
Peruvian causa de pollo is my favourite. It's made quite easily and it feeds lots of people. The base mainly has Peruvian yellow potato and ají amarillo (yellow chilli) paste.
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Servings: 6 people in a 21x13cm / 8x4in pan
Ingredients
For the yellow chilli paste*
- 250 g Peruvian yellow chilli fresh or frozen
For the potato base
- 500 g Peruvian yellow potato or Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 90 g yellow chilli paste from above
- salt and pepper to taste
For the chicken layer
- 250 g chicken breast
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the avocado
- 2 avocados sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
To garnish
- Hard-boiled quail eggs
- Baby rocket leaves
Instructions
Yellow chilli paste
- Cut off the head of the chillies and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Using a small knife, remove the seeds and veins.
- Place a pot with cold water and boil for 10-15min or until you can easily peel the skin off. You should be able to rub the skin at a corner and it should easily peel by pulling.
- Remove the chillies from the water, peel and blend. If your blender needs a bit of liquid, add a drizzle of vegetable oil, just the minimum amount to help your blender.
- Reserve what you need for the recipe and you can freeze the rest for up to 6 months.
For the potato base
- If you're using Peruvian yellow potatoes (ideal) or Yukon Gold then peel them and remove the eyes. Cook in salted cold water over medium heat. Don't let it go on to a rolling boil or the outside will disintegrate before the centre cooks. We take them out once you can easily pierce them with a knife. Don't let them overcook or they will start to disintegrate. If you're using another type of potato such as Russet, cook it in the oven with the skin on at 200°C/400°F for 1 hour - 1.5 hours or until really tender. We do it this way so the final product is as dry as the yellow potato.
- Pass the potato through a potato ricer while it's still hot (it gets tough when it's cold!).
- Add all the other ingredients and mix until homogeneous. Taste and adjust the salt level if necessary.
For the chicken layer
- Place the chicken in a pot with cold, salted water. Let it come to a boil over medium-low heat. Don't let it come to a rolling boil or the meat could become tough. Cook it for 15-20min from the moment it starts to boil. It shouldn't be pink if you cut into it. Remove it from the water and shred it.
- Mix the chicken with the mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
Assembly
- Line a 21x13cm/8x4in pan with cling film or baking paper. You can also use individual rings.
- Flatten half of the potato mix on the base.
- On top, layer the avocados and season with salt and pepper.
- Then, make a layer with the chicken and flatten it.
- Finish with another layer of potato. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours if you're going to unmould it onto a plate.
- Garnish on top however you like. I used quail eggs and baby rocket leaves.
Video
Notes
*You can replace this with the store-bought version (usually easily found online) and the difference is that store-bought is spicy but the homemade version is not.
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