Yuca Con Mojo

At the end of 2020 I decided to take a trip to Guyana, the home country of my parents. I had never been and one of my good friends was making a trip to celebrate her birthday and see her mom, so naturally I wanted to join and although it was the height of the pandemic, a change of scenery was a must! So I hoped on the plane to Guyana for two weeks!

Now what was special about this trip was of course the beautiful landscape but THE FOOD!! my friends mom is Cuban so her cooking offers a combination of Cuban and Guyanese influences. There was one dish she made that I had to recreate (vegan of course) that brought so much comfort!

Yuca con mojo is a Cuban side dish made by marinating yuca root(also known as cassava) in garlic, lime, and olive oil or some other common ingredients are naranja agria (bitter orange)juice, onion and chicharron.

There is this delicious creamy, citrus, salt vibe that HONESTLY meets all your needs and really could be enjoyed with other dishes, but I love it on its own, especially with my version of making my own chicharron!

There are a few different steps to this dish, but once you make it, you won’t forget it!


INGREDIENT LIST:

2 medium size yuca (cassava)

6 garlic cloves

1/4 of small yellow onion (Spanish onion)

1/4 of smoked tofu

1tbsp of flour

1/2tbsp of desired seasoning for tofu

1/4 cup of orange juice

1tbsp of lemon juice

salt

oil

garnish: cilantro, red chilli


*refer to video on instagram*

  1. Peel, remove the vain in the middle of the yuca, chop in smedium chunks and soak in salt for 2hrs

  2. rinse and the put fresh water in pot and boil till it softens.

    tofu:

  3. with peeler, peel small strips of tofu to mimic chicharron. season with: salt, flour, black pepper and garlic powder.

  4. drop tofu in hot oil till crispy

    garlic sauce:

  5. add orange juice and lemon juice in bowl and mix

  6. chop garlic and onion

  7. once water is all removed from the boiling yuca, add to pot on a medium heat

  8. add garlic, salt and onions, toss

  9. add orange and lemon juice, toss

  10. turn the heat down to low, cover the pot for 3-5mins

  11. serve!!! Add the tofu, fresh cilantro and red chilli


eatgood huemans, your life depends on it!

Aisha Bentham