Fried Yucca
If you’ve never heard of yucca before, you heard about it here first! Also known as cassava or manioc, yucca is a tuberous, hardy and starchy root found in tropical climes such as Africa, Southeast Asia, southern China and the Caribbean, but also known to be a staple food consumed by the Native Americans and pre-Columbian people hundreds of years ago. You may be most familiar with the flour- also known as tapioca, which is made from its roots.
It’s also good for you- its high in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C.
I usually make yucca mashed like potatoes with only the addition of butter and salt. It has such a creamy flavor, you might even prefer it over mashed potatoes like I do. I recently decided to make fried yucca, a decision I was happy about. It was so delicious and even satiated that craving for french fries!
Fried Yucca
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 long yucca root
4 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
Directions
- Boil yucca in a large pot of water for approximately 45 minutes, or until very soft. Poke with a sharp knife to make sure it’s thoroughly soft.
- Allow to cool then remove thick outer skin as well as thin, stringy cord in the middle.
- Roughly chop into semi-thick pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. When oil is hot, add the yuca pieces and salt. Sauté until brown on one side, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Turn each piece over carefully, using a fork or even a fish spatula. Heat the other sides for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Place on a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra oil, if any.
Enjoy as a side dish to fish, meat or as a stand-alone snack.
I’ve always seen yucca in the grocery store and sometimes at the farmer’s market but have never gathered the courage to buy some because I’m just not sure what to do with it. But now I know exactly what I want to try and the next time I see some yucca, you can be sure I’ll be buying some inshaAllah!
Growing up in the Caribbean, cassava saute was the main way in which my mother used the root vegetable cassava. But she also used it as an ingredient in vegetable soups (a rather hearty soup that also included sweet potatoes, plantains and yam). Cassava can also be used to make a gratin, or as a substitue for beadfruit in ‘oil down’ (a unique Caribbean dish).
The cassava saute is made by boiling the cassava that has been peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (with the centre threads removed) in salted water. It is cooked until very tender and drained. In a large skillet, oil is heated and onions and garlic is sauted to release their aroma and until softened (some people like to let their onions turn golden brown). The cassava is added to the pan and tossed continuously to coat with oil, onion and garlic mixture for about 7-10 mins. Depending on preferences, the following would be added to the cassava just before turning the heat off: hot pepper (chopped finely), black pepper, green onions (finely chopped) and more salt if necessary. Cassave saute is usually served as a side dish to stewed or fried fish.
My apologies for being so lengthy, but your post brought back a lot of memories for me. I thought maybe you might be interested in the recipe above as it provides another way in which to prepare cassava.
Thanks for sharing, Saara!
MashaAllah I had this for the first time at Sister Vilma’s house. Thanks for sharing a recipee
Can someone give me an idea as to the carlories on a typical restaurant side dish portion of fried yucca? How does it compare to a comparable side dish of french fried potatoes?
Here in Indonesia we usually have fried cassava as a snack and is usually accompanied with a cup of hot tea or coffee. But what you can do apart from frying it is to boil it until it’s tender and enjoy it as it is. Or you can add steamed shredded coconut over it and sprinkle some sugar and voila! =)