300+ Recipe Digital Cookbook
"I spent 10 years creating and testing recipes for this cookbook, it's my proudest creation!"
300+ Recipe Digital Cookbook
"I spent 10 years creating and testing 1000's of recipes for this cookbook, it's my proudest creation!"
- Mariel, Author & Founder
The Yuca Root (a starchy food) first originated in Brazil and Paraguay. Today, it can be found in various tropical regions such as ones in South America, Asia, Australia and Africa.
Yuca is low in fats and protein. It’s a great source of Vitamin K, which helps the body with bone mass building. It is also a good source of important minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese. I love this root. A lot. It is so filling and it tastes like a potato, only way better. Want to know what else about Yuca is cool? It’s gluten-free. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out. Go to your nearest organic grocery store and find yourself some. You won’t regret it. I promise.
I remember that my siblings and I used to have Yuca in many of our meals while growing up. In my house Yuca was served either in soups or simply fried (like potato wedges). So tasty. Yuca brings back a lot of memories…ones of family and good conversations. We shared our thoughts and formed deeper bonds while eating. Life has been really good to me; I have plenty of wonderful memories and wonderful people in my life. I miss home.
Here’s a visual depiction of some of the steps in this recipe:
I found Yuca roots at the store two days ago and it brightened my day. It was like finding a little piece of Ecuador that I could buy and take along with me. One of my friends, Maritza (who is from Colombia), came over to my house and helped me prepare Yuca Fries. We had a lot of fun sharing a Latin American-like moment together. When the Yuca Fries were ready and we tasted our creation, our sense of taste brought us back to those beloved childhood memories we both had dearly kept close to our hearts.
Yuca Fries
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These yuca fries are golden and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A must try.
Ingredients
- 2 yucas
- 5–6 tbsp coconut oil
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Peel yucas and slice them into 1/2 inch – 3/4 inch fries or sticks.
- Fill up a large pot with cold water and place yuca sticks in it.
- Bring water to a boil and allow yuca sticks to cook for 10 minutes. Your yuca sticks will be tender and you will be able to pierce them with a fork/knife; this means they are cooked through.
- Place yuca sticks in drainer and let them drain for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat up 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add half of the yuca sticks to the pan, making sure they don’t overlap, and fry until all sides are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Repeat until all yuca sticks are fried.
- Transfer yuca sticks to a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle sea salt to liking.
- Enjoy right away by themselves or with favorite condiment.
Notes
- The inside of the yuca should be white. If there are black lines whatsoever, discard and use a different yuca.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Latin American
PIN ME
mariel amo tus recetas linda!!!!! toda una chef . your r on fire linda.
Gracias Niki!!!
I made this recipe last night, and felt sick to my stomach this morning. I googled to find out why this morning and was shocked to discover yucca can be fatal if not prepared properly. Kids in the Philippines routinely die from cyanide intoxication from yucca. You really should mention this on your blog before your recipe!!! Absolutely all of the purple color under the skin needs to be peeled off (not knowing, I left specks here and there), and the cassava needs to be 100% cooked through (which mine probably wasn’t because I was following your instructions not to let it “get mushy.”) The Japanese Ministry of Health prohibits human cassava consumption because it is so toxic. It is a real problem and thank goodness nothing happened to my four year old who I fed this to last night.
Hi Julia. Thanks for reaching out. I am so sorry you felt sick to your stomach the morning after eating yuca fries. I had no idea that yuca could cause this; at home, we always make sure we cook any root vegetable through in order to avoid eating them raw/under-cooked. As you can see by the pictures, my yuca fries are pretty thin, so that helps me with getting them cooked through in the boiling water before baking them. I hope you’re feeling better by now and I am so glad to hear your little baby did not get sick. I have updated the recipe in two ways: telling readers to throw away their yucas if the inside has any dark lines, and to be sure to have the yuca fries cooked through in the boiling water before baking them. Again, I appreciate your comment and I am really sorry to know you had a bad experience.