Yuca Fries

The Yuca Root (a potato-like 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.

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.

Tools You’ll Need:

-       Large pot

-       Large skillet

-       Spatula

-       Drainer

-       Serving dish

-       Paper towels

Ingredients:

-       2 yucas

-       5-6 tablespoons of coconut oil

-       1 teaspoon of sea salt

Steps:

1. Peel and slice your yucas into large slices.
2. Fill up your large pot with cold water and place yucca slices in it.
3. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, boil for about 10 minutes. Your yucas will be tender and you will be able to pierce it with a fork/knife. Make sure the yucas don’t get too soft.
4. Place yucas in drainer and let them drain for 10-15 minutes.
5. Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of your coconut oil in your skillet under medium heat.
6. Place ½ of the yuca sticks in the pan and fry until all sides are golden brown. Should take 10 minutes.
7. Place yucas on your serving dish (covered with a paper towel) and sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 with the rest of your yuca sticks.
9. Share with friends and enjoy this delicious South American dish!

Here we cut the yuca in half…which made the peeling process a bit easier.

Here are our naked yucas, peeled and ready to be sliced.

Sliced yucas ready to be boiled.

Brining our water to a boil and letting it boil for 10 minutes (until yuca is nice and tender).

Yucas after they’ve been boiled. This is when we drained the hot water.

Frying our “yuquitas”

Yuca Fries sprinkled with sea salt.

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