Causa Rolls with Beet & Potato

A Nikkei take on the classic Peruvian dish.

When I make causa Limeña, I always remember my mom and how she taught me to make the traditional creole dish. My mom also liked Japanese food, so I think she would have enjoyed making this Japanese-Peruvian recipe that I contributed to Joe Yonan’s cookbook Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking.

Left: cookbook cover. Right: causa roll photo by Erin Scott

Causa Rolls with Beet & Potato

Causa is a traditional Peruvian chilled mashed potato casserole with a tuna or chicken salad middle layer. The mash is already vegan because instead of milk or butter, Peru's creole cooks mix in olive oil, lime juice, and ají amarillo (native yellow chiles). This recipe honors Nikkei, the Japanese-Peruvian food culture prevalent in Lima for more than one hundred years, by having you shape the causa like a sushi roll, filling it with a salad of beet cubes steamed with kombu stock (making them resemble the bonito tuna so popular among Lima's working class). The potatoes get a little kick from sriracha, while nori strips, avocado, and jalapeño garnish the sliced rolls.

Makes 4 servings

Time: Weekend

Storage: Not recommended, but you can make and refrigerate the potato puree 1 day in advance, until you are ready to make the dish.

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2 pounds (910g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1½ teaspoons sriracha

1 (4 × 6-inch/10cm × 15cm) piece dried kombu, rinsed

2 cups (470ml) water

2 medium beets (7 ounces/200g total), peeled and cut into ½-inch (1.3cm) cubes (about 1 cup)

½ medium cucumber (4 ounces/115g), peeled and cut into ½-inch (1.3cm) cubes (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons Silky Aquafaba Mayonnaise (page 46) or store-bought vegan mayonnaise

3 scallions, white part only, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Toasted nori strips, for garnish

Sliced avocado, for garnish

Thinly sliced jalapeño rounds, for garnish

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In a large pot, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover by 2 inches (5cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat until the water is simmering, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes cool slightly.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a ricer to press them into a large bowl. (A ricer gets them particularly smooth, but alternatively you can use a potato masher and try to get out as many lumps as possible.) Fold in 1 teaspoon of the salt, the lime juice, sesame oil, and sriracha. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator to chill completely before using, at least 3 hours.

In a medium pot, combine the kombu, the 2 cups (470ml) water, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Let the kombu soak for 15 minutes, then set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat until the water is simmering and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat (fish out and compost the kombu).

Place a steamer basket/insert in the pot, pouring out a little of the kombu stock if need be so the basket isn't touching the water, and spread the beet cubes evenly in the basket. Bring the kombu stock to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover, and steam the beets until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer the beets to a bowl and let them cool.

When the beets are cool, add to their bowl the cucumber, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, mayonnaise, and scallion whites and stir to combine.

Set an 11½ × 8-inch (29cm × 20cm) piece of compostable parchment paper on your work surface, with a short side facing you.

Once the mashed potato is chilled, scoop one-quarter of it, about 1 cup, on top of the parchment and shape it into a 7 x 4-inch (18cm × 10cm) rectangle centered on the parchment, with the 7-inch (18cm) side of the rectangle parallel to the long side of the parchment. (From your perspective, the mashed potato rectangle should be taller than it is wide.) Spread one-quarter of the beet and cucumber filling, about ½ cup, length-wise down the center of the mashed potatoes.

Starting with the parchment's bottom short edge, fold it up in half to bring together the 4-inch (10cm) edges of the mashed potato. Gently peel the parchment off the mashed potato, and use your hands as needed to shape the potato into a roll with the beet filling inside. Transfer the roll to a plate. (it should le about 2½ inches/6.5cm in diameter.) Repeat to make 3 more rolls.

Slice each roll into 6 pieces and top the pieces with nori, avocado, and jalapeño. Serve immediately.