If you’re born into a Cuban household, yuca [pronounced yoo-kah] is one of our favorite side dishes. You can say yuca is an alternative to potatoes, however, it’s way better in my opinion! Maybe I’m biased.

Yuca (or cassava or manioc, or tapioca) is a root vegetable that is a staple in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine.

During Cuban Christmas, you’ll often see yuca con mojo on a plate next to Cuban roast pork, congri, Cuban buñuelos, and flan. It’s like the perfect plate with all the Cuban fixings! My aunt always made it for Christmas Eve and then turn it into yuca fries for Christmas lunch. YUM!

Today, I’m showing you how to boil this tuber and toss it in a delicious garlic mojo sauce.

Let’s jump right in.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Authentic Cuban flavors. This Cuban yuca con mojo is PACKED with flavor. Think soft cassava meets sliced onions, garlic, and citrus. YUM.

• Easy, adaptable, scalable recipe. This recipe comes together fairly easily and it can be doubled for a crowd. You can also either use fresh or frozen yuca. Use what you can find. Learn more about yuca!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Fresh or Frozen Yuca. If buying fresh yuca, make sure it is firm without any soft spots. Fresh yuca has rough, brown skin so if you’re not interested in peeling yuca with a knife, buy the frozen kind! The frozen kind comes peeled and cut already. You can find it in the Hispanic frozen section of the grocery store. You need to peel and cut the yuca into chunks.

• Minced garlic. The star of our garlic and onion mojo sauce.

• Thinly sliced onions. So good when you sauté them with oil and garlic. Yum!

• Neutral oil. You can also use extra virgin olive oil or bacon grease for this recipe if you have that on hand.

• Sour orange juice. If you can’t find sour orange juice in the grocery store, you can make your own by stirring together juice from 1 orange and juice from 1/2 lemon.

How To Boil Yuca

• Boil it. Add yuca to a large pot of water with salt. Bring the yuca to a boil on high heat then reduce the heat.

• Simmer. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the yuca is fork-tender. Careful not to overcook it or you run the risk of the yuca getting too mushy.

• Remove the fibrous core. Yuca always has this string in it that’s not edible. This is what it looks like. The frozen kind sometimes has it removed but to be honest, you don’t HAVE to do this step. After you drain the yuca, pat them dry with paper towels then transfer them to a large bowl with a lid. Remove the stringy, fibrous core from the center of each piece of yuca with a knife, if desired.

Garlic Mojo Sauce

This tangy, citrusy mojo dipping sauce is made with sour orange juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices. So simple and absolutely delicious!

• In a large saucepan, heat the oil at medium heat.

• Add the sliced onions and sauté for 5 minutes until they are softened and translucent.

• Add in the minced garlic, a pinch of black pepper, and salt to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon then adjust to taste).

• Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant then whisk in the sour orange juice until all is combined. Set aside.

• Pour the hot garlic mojo sauce over the warm boiled yuca making sure it is all well coated. Cover the bowl and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes so the yuca absorbs the mojo. Serve immediately.