So yesterday I decided I wanted to mess around with Peruvian food appetizers. You know, something different for a change. Saw some pictures online and thought, “Yeah, looks tasty, how hard can it be?” Famous last words.
The Whole Ingredient Hunt Thing
First problem: finding the stuff. Needed some specific things. Like aji amarillo paste. That orange chilli stuff that’s in, like, everything Peruvian. My local grocery store? Big fat zero. Checked three different places. Ended up finding this tiny jar in that international aisle near the taco kits, way in the back. Victory! Sorta. Way pricier than I hoped.
Then came the potatoes for Causa Rellena. Looked up recipes, kept seeing mentions of yellow potatoes. You know, Yukon Golds? Seemed easy. But nope, apparently Peru uses specific types. So I grabbed Yukon Golds thinking, “Close enough, right?” Also grabbed chicken for the filling, mayo, avocado, lime – the usual suspects.
Kitchen Time Trial & Error
Alright, let the fun begin. Or the chaos.
Causa Rellena Step One: Potato Disaster
Boiled the potatoes. Figured easy-peasy. Overcooked ’em slightly. Went from boiled to mush while I was distracted reading the aji paste jar. Big mistake. Trying to mash them? Forget it. They turned into this weird, gluey paste. Added lime juice and aji paste like it said. Mixed it. Stuff looked kinda radioactive orange and wouldn’t hold shape at all. Panic set in.
Solution? Refrigerated that orange goop. Gave up on fancy layers. Just dumped it in a dish, layered the chicken salad (chicken mixed with mayo, avocado chunks, onions) on top like a weird casserole, crumbled hard-boiled eggs and olives over it. Presentable? Ha. Zero points for style. Called it a “deconstructed causa”. Fancy word for messy food pile.
Step Two: Tequeños Tearjerker
Thought I’d try something simpler: Tequeños. Cheese sticks wrapped in dough? How hard?
- Bought some queso fresco. Soft, crumbly stuff.
- Plan was to cut it into sticks, wrap it in spring roll wrappers.
Problem one: The cheese crumbled while cutting. Like, instantly. Ended up with more cheese rubble than sticks.
Problem two: Trying to wrap mush. Spring roll wrappers are sticky! Attempted to wrap crumbled cheese blobs. Result? Lumpy, weirdly shaped things. Some wrapped okay, others leaked cheese before they even saw oil.
Heated up cooking oil. Waited nervously. Dropped in my mutant cheese blobs. Immediate sizzle! Then:
- Oil splatter EVERYWHERE. Ouch.
- Half of them opened up like sad little flowers, cheese oozing out like magma.
- The ones that held? Needed way longer than I thought to get golden. Almost burnt them.
Pulled them out. Looked… very rustic. More like abstract cheese art than appetizers.
Final Plating & The Taste Test
Arranged the sad “causa casserole” and the weird, slightly burnt, slightly oozing Tequeños blobs on a plate. Scattered some cilantro leaves desperately trying to make it look intentional. It still looked chaotic. Took pictures anyway. Gotta document the struggle.
Time for the big reveal: Taste?
- The “causa” mash was actually pretty good! Tangy from the lime, spicy kick from the aji, creamy avocado chicken mix. Flavors worked despite the texture fail.
- The Tequeños? Crispy wrapper part okay. Cheese inside was melty, salty goodness. Even the escaped bits fried up tasty. Messy? Absolutely. But surprisingly moreish.
The Takeaway? Peruvian flavors punch hard. Totally different vibe. Way more effort than I anticipated. Finding the right ingredients is half the battle. My presentation skills need serious CPR. But even when it looks chaotic and goes sideways, it can still taste amazing. Definitely learned a ton by screwing up every step. Next time? Maybe actually follow a recipe properly. Or just order takeout.
