Yucca with Garlic Sauce (Yuca con Mojo) is considered a side dish that is usually served to accompany your favorite meat or fish. This side dish consists of boiled root vegetables that are coated evenly with a garlicky-onion sauce.
Yuca (also known as cassava) is a starchy gluten free root vegetable that is served like a potato. In fact, it has more fiber and potassium than a regular potato. Yuca can be boiled, steamed, stewed, fried, mashed or grated.
You can also purchase fresh yuca or frozen yuca at most Latin markets. With the frozen yuca, you will definitely save on food preparation time because they come already peeled and cut to size.
Food History!
The Taíno Indians were known to cultivate the yuca. They would make flour from the yuca to prepare a flatbread known as “casabe.”
Cutting and Peeling the Yuca!
This is a yuca referred to as Cassava. It usually measures at least 2 to 4 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches long with tapered ends. The yuca has a dark hard brown rind and a firm white starchy flesh that has a stiff cord running lengthwise down the center of the Yuca.
Cut both ends of the Yuca with a knife. Since this particular Yuca measures 12” long, cut the Yuca into 3 equal sections crosswise.
Peel the Yuca with a sharp knife, cutting into the flesh.
Let’s cut each Yuca section in half lengthwise.
All 3 sections have been peeled, cut into halves and rinsed. For your information, underneath the white flesh, you will find a stiff cord, running lengthwise down the center of the Yuca. You can remove the inner root before or after cooking the yuca. I prefer to remove the stiff cord before cooking the yuca.
To remove the inner root, insert knife into white flesh underneath the inner root.
Lift and pull to remove.
This is 1½ pounds of yuca that has been peeled, cut to size, stiff cord removed and rinsed.
Boiling the Root Vegetables!
In a 4-quart saucepan, pour 8 cups of water and bring the water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of lite salt or to taste to the boiling water. Reduce heat to medium.
Carefully place the yuca in saucepan. Cook for 30 minutes or until root vegetables are fork tender. Cover saucepan with lid.
Check if the root vegetables (yuca) are fork-tender after 30 minutes of cooking.
You can tell that the root vegetables are tender because the yuca sections are coming apart.
Remove yuca from saucepan and place in a bowl.
Peeling and Mashing the Garlic for the Yucca with Garlic Sauce!
For this recipe, I will be using 8 to 10 fresh garlic cloves that were harvested from my garden the other day.
To peel a garlic clove, place a clove under the flat side of a knife blade and press down with the palm of your hand until you hear a crack.
Now you can peel the garlic clove.
Since these are fresh garlic cloves, they have a stronger aroma. For this recipe, I used 8 garlic cloves.
This is our pilón (mortar and pestle). An essential kitchen tool in our culture. Place several garlic cloves at a time in the pilón and mash the garlic cloves with the pestle.
We just finished mashing the garlic cloves.
Peeling, Cutting and Slicing the Onions!
You can use 1½ to 2 onions, depending on the size. Remove both ends, papery skin, first layer of the onion and then cut the onion in half.
Cut each half into ¼ to ½ inch slices or the thickness of your preference.
Preparing the Garlic Sauce for the Yuca!
To prepare the garlic sauce, pour 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil and ½ cup of white vinegar in a 10-inch skillet over low heat. Stir well.
Placed the sliced onions.
Cook until the onions become slightly soft, approximately 5 minutes.
We can now add the mashed garlic cloves, lemon juice (squeezed from ½ of a lemon) and 2 bay leaves. Stir all the ingredients until well blended and simmer for another 5 minutes.
The onions are becoming soft and translucent. I love to add towards the end ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley to give this dish a mild herbal taste and some color.
NOTE: You can use cilantro instead of parsley if that is your preference.
Stir well and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
The garlic sauce is ready.
Adding the Garlic Sauce to the Boiled Root Vegetables!
Before we pour the garlic sauce over the cooked yuca, make sure you remove the bay leaves.
With a spoon, stir until the root vegetables are coated evenly with the garlic sauce.
Let stand for approximately 1 to 2 hours so that the yuca can absorb all the flavors from the sauce. Make sure you stir the Yucca with Garlic Sauce before serving.
Serving the Yucca with Garlic Sauce as a Side Dish!
The yuca con mojo (Yuca with Garlic Sauce) is usually served to accompany your favorite meat or fish. I like to add freshly ground peppercorn on top for a more flavorful dish. Some individuals like to add strips of roasted peppers (pimientos morrones) as a garnish.
Click on the button below to watch my Youtube Video on How to Prepare Yucca with Garlic Sauce (Yuca con Mojo)!
Recipe and Nutritional Facts!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.
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Yucca with Garlic Sauce (Yuca con Mojo)
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Description
Yucca with Garlic Sauce (Yuca con Mojo) is a side dish that consists of boiled yucca coated evenly in a delicious garlicky-onion sauce.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds of yuca, peeled and cut into sections crosswise
- 8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons lite salt or to taste
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into ¼ to ½ inches
- 8 to 10 minced garlic cloves
- ½ lemon, squeeze lemon to obtain fresh lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cut each section of the yuca in half and remove the inner root.
- Pour water into a 4-quart saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Add salt and stir.
- Place root vegetables in saucepan and reduce heat to medium. Cook until yucca are fork tender.
- Remove the cooked root vegetables and place them in a large bowl.
- In a 10-inch skillet, add the oil, vinegar and sliced onions. Cook until the onions become slightly soft, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the parsley. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the onions are soft and translucent, add the parsley. Stir well and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and then pour the garlic sauce over cooked root vegetables. Coat the yuca evenly with the garlic sauce.
- Let stand for approximately 1 to 2 hours to absorb all the flavors. Mix again before serving.
- Serve this dish with your favorite meat or fish.
- Category: Side Order
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keywords: Yuca con Mojo, Yucca with Garlic Sauce,