Yuca con mojo

Ingredients

Cassava

• 1.5 kgcassava, peeled
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• juice of 1 lime, for the water

Mojo

• 1whole head of garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 150 mlolive oil
• 200 mlsour orange juice
• or 130 ml orange juice with 70 ml lime juice
• 1onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoondried oregano
• black pepper

To serve

• extra lime wedges
• roast pork or grilled meat

Directions

1. Remove both the brown skin and the pink layer beneath. Cut out the woody core running down the middle. Never eat cassava raw at any stage. Cut the root into lengths of about eight centimetres. Stand each piece upright on end. Score the skin lengthways with a sharp knife.
2. Work the blade under the skin and lever it off. Both the brown and pink layers should come away. Rinse the peeled white flesh under cold water. Put the cassava in a large pot of cold water.
3. Add the salt and a squeeze of lime. The lime helps keep the flesh white. Bring it up to the boil and then lower it. Simmer it for about twenty-five minutes. Cassava should be very soft, almost falling apart.
4. Add a cup of cold water when it is nearly done. The shock is said to help it soften fully. Drain it and pull out any woody cores you missed.
5. Mash the garlic and salt into a paste in a mortar. Keep pounding until it is completely smooth. Stir the garlic paste into the citrus juice. Add the oregano and plenty of black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a small pan until it shimmers. Add the sliced onion and fry it for two minutes.
6. Take the pan off the heat now. Now pour the citrus and garlic mixture into the hot oil. Stand back and pour it carefully. Swirl it and let it sit for a minute. Taste it and adjust the salt and the acid. It should be sharp, garlicky and strongly seasoned.
7. Put the hot drained cassava into a serving dish. Break the pieces roughly with a spoon. Pour the hot mojo over it while both are hot. Hot cassava absorbs the dressing far better. Turn it gently so every piece is coated. Let it sit for five minutes before serving. Serve it warm rather than piping hot. It is also good cold the next day.

Technique

• Sour orange, naranja agria, is the traditional citrus of Cuban mojo and is quite different from a sweet orange.
• Bottled sour orange juice is sold in Latin American shops and is a reasonable option.

Substitutions

• Frozen cassava is widely sold and is often better quality than fresh roots that have travelled far.
• Two parts orange juice to one part lime juice approximates sour orange well.

Variations

• Some households add cumin to the mojo.
• A version with more onion cooked soft in the oil is common.
• The same mojo dresses boiled malanga, plantain and boniato.

History

Boiled yuca root, drizzled generously with mojo, a sauce made from sour orange juice, garlic and olive oil, documented across Cuba as one of the country’s most essential and widely eaten side dishes, reflecting yuca’s long-standing importance as a starchy staple crop across the Caribbean, tracing back to Indigenous Taíno cultivation of the root long before Spanish colonization. Its citrus-and-garlic mojo sauce, poured hot over the just-boiled yuca so the garlic sizzles briefly on contact, reflects a broader Cuban culinary technique also used to flavour roasted meats including lechón asado. Yuca con mojo remains a staple side dish across Cuban households, commonly served alongside roasted or fried meats.

Frequently asked questions

What is Yuca con mojo?

Yuca con mojo is a salad & side from Cuba: boiled cassava dressed with garlic-citrus mojo. Boiled yuca root, drizzled generously with mojo, a sauce made from sour orange juice, garlic and olive oil, documented across Cuba as one of the country’s most essential and widely eaten side dishes, reflecting yuca’s long-standing importance as a starchy staple crop across the Caribbean, tracing back to Indigenous Taíno cultivation of the root long before Spanish colonization. Its citrus-and-garlic mojo sauce, poured hot over the just-boiled yuca so the garlic sizzles briefly on contact, reflects a broader Cuban culinary technique also used to flavour roasted meats including lechón asado. Yuca con mojo remains a staple side dish across Cuban households, commonly served alongside roasted or fried meats.

How long does Yuca con mojo take to make?

Yuca con mojo takes 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Yuca con mojo?

Yes, within limits. Frozen cassava is widely sold and is often better quality than fresh roots that have travelled far. Two parts orange juice to one part lime juice approximates sour orange well.

What is the most important thing to get right in Yuca con mojo?

Remove both the brown skin and the pink layer beneath. Cut out the woody core running down the middle. Never eat cassava raw at any stage. Cut the root into lengths of about eight centimetres. Stand each piece upright on end. Score the skin lengthways with a sharp knife.