Plate of Fried Yuca Sticks
(click to enlarge)

Fried Yuca Sticks


Latin America, Caribbean   -   Yuca Fritas
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1 #
***
1-1/8 hrs
Hours		 A widely popular appetizer, snack, or side dish throughout the region. They absorb much less oil than French Fries, and don't splatter while frying! See also Serving.

2
ar
ar
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ar
#
c
t
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Yuca Root (1)  
Oil, deep fry
Salt (2)
-- Serve With
Dip(s) (3)
Prep   -   (45)
  1. Peel YUCA to remove wax coating, skin, and all color from under the skin. A sturdy "Y" shaped vegetable peeler is what you need, the traditional side peeler doesn't work well.
  2. Cut Yuca into the lengths you want your sticks to be, usually about 2-1/2 inches. A sharp Chinese cleaver knife driven by a mallet is good for this.
  3. Cut Yuca sections into sticks 1/2 inch or a little less on the sides. I set sections on end and slice downward with a thin sharp Santoko. See also Slicing.
  4. Over highest heat, bring plenty of Water to a boil, then pour in your Yuca sticks. Boil until just cooked through, this will be about 8 minutes, depending on size. Drain very well.
Run   -   (20 min)
  1. Place Oil in a kadhai, wok or other suitable deep fry container. Bring up to about 375°F/190°C and fry Sticks in modest size batches - they should be rather lightly browned.
  2. Scoop out with you spider and drain on a rack.
  3. While still warm, tumble with very fine Salt (see Salt).
  4. Serve, warm or at room temperature, with dip of your choice, see Serving and Dips.
NOTES:

  1. Yuca:

      [Cassava, Manioc, Tapioca root]   2 pounds of Yuca Root will yield about 1 pound of fried sticks. Yuca is sold in any market serving a Tropical or Subtropical ethnicity. It is heavily waxed to prevent drying out, but is still highly perishable. Buy from a market with fast turnover, check there are no soft spots, and buy a spare as they can fool you. As it ages, Yuca gets purple streaks in the flesh. For details see our Cassava / Manioc / Yuca page.

  2. Salt:

      I run regular sea salt crystals in my spice grinder so the powder adheres to the Yuca Sticks better.

  3. Dips:

      Use a dip that is not watery so it sticks to the sticks. There are many Latin American salsas / dips / sauces that qualify, and they cross borders freely. Look under "Basics" in our Index by Region for the region you are interested in.

  4. Slicing:

      Most recipes have you boil the Yuca sections after peeling until they are cooked through and start splitting. This is easier than cutting raw, but the result is a lot more ragged, and they don't fry as evenly. A very few recipes cut the sticks smaller and fry them raw. For this you have to control your frying temperature so they are cooked through before becoming too brown. About 330°F/166°C is good.

  5. Serving:

      These are best served immediately, but are pretty durable. The outside is still crisp after several hours at room temperature, but eventually become just stiff. They are still tasty, and they can be revived in a 330 °F/165°C oven.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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