Causa stuffed with white beans

Right here is some Peruvian inspired goodness: stuffed causa. As mentioned in another recipe, causa is a traditional Peruvian dish made with mashed potatoes and flavoured with lime juice and aji amarillo or yellow chili paste. Causa is very commonly stuffed with tuna or chicken salad. As I like to create vegetarian/plant-based version of meaty dishes, I thought of stuffing this causa with white beans. But there’s another special ingredient in there; one that might be -I admit – a bit tricky to find: kala namak salt. I can already see the blank stares: kala what? Kala namak is a type of salt mostly found in the Himalayas with a brownish, purple-ish colour. Due to its sulfur content it has a very pungent smell but a lends a egg-like flavour to dishes. I wanted to keep this dish 100% plant-based and as eggs are usually a very nice addition, I turned to this special salt. Regular salt works just as well and you can add slices of boiled eggs as well.

Causa
500 gr potato
1 teaspoon aji amarillo (or another chili paste)
Juice of 3 limes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Stuffing
265 gr white beans, drained
1 heaped tablespoon (plant-based) mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kala namak salt (of gewone zout)
1 red onion
Optional: 1 avocado

Directions

1. Wash the potatoes very well and steam them until soft. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them.
2. Add the aji amarillo, lime juice and olive oil to the potatoes and mash them into a puree. You want a smooth mixture without lumps.
3. Peel and finely chop the red onion.
4. Crush the beans with your fingers and mix with the mayonnaise and red onion. Season with the kala namak salt.
5. If using, cut the avocado in half, peel and discard the stone. Slice thinly.
6. To serve, spread half of the causa on a serving plate cover with a layer of avocado slices.
7. Carefully scoop the bean mixture and top with the rest of the causa.