Working With Yuca
I have to admit that when I first started working with yuca, I was very intimidated by the fresh root! It looked strange and seemed like a really big chore to peel! I created all of my early recipes using the frozen variety. But trust me, peeling fresh yuca is really pretty easy after you do it once and determine your preferred technique. Let’s jump in and see how it’s done!
Buying and Storing Yuca
Fresh, sweet yuca can be purchased year-round at Asian, Latin, or African markets, and can even be found these days in some larger grocery stores. I can buy it at my local Fairway, Shop Rite, and H-Mart.
Fresh Yuca
When buying fresh yuca, be sure to choose roots that are firm (not mushy) without bruises or cuts in the skin. There’s a waxy coating on fresh yuca, which is added to help preserve it.
Store whole yuca root in a cool, dry place and cook it within 1-2 weeks of purchase. While I’ve read that it shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator, I’ve done it many times and my roots kept perfectly. If you need to store it longer it can be peeled, cut into pieces, and either put in the freezer or covered with water and stored in the refrigerator for another week. If storing cut, fresh yuca in the refrigerator, change the water daily.
I have also peeled and boiled yuca while I’m in kitchen cooking something else, and then stored the boiled yuca for use later in the week. This is a great time saving tip so it’s ready-to-eat or be made into your next yuca creation quickly and easily.
Frozen Goya Yuca Frozen Yuca
Frozen yuca is more widely available in supermarkets and is typically found in the Goya freezer section. I can find it locally at Fairway or Stop and Shop. Frozen yuca is already peeled and cut into pieces (and a lot less intimidating when you are first starting to cook with it!) It resembles peeled potatoes.
For any recipe requiring that yuca be boiled, there will be no difference in the outcome if either fresh or frozen yuca is used, so use whichever makes you more comfortable.
How To Peel Fresh Yuca (Cassava)
*Before fresh yuca can be eaten, the outer bark-like peel MUST be removed. While it may look like an intimidating root vegetable to peel, it’s really quite easy once you get the hang of it.
Place yuca on a cutting board and cut off the tip and tail of the root.
Remove the peel, either with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.
If using a knife there are 2 techniques. The first is to cut the yuca root into about 3 pieces. Then slice through the peel of each piece vertically – from top to bottom. Gently wedge a paring knife under the bark so that it lifts up and can be removed in large pieces.
The second technique is to pierce the peel with the knife horizontally, getting just below the peel, and remove it with a slight sawing motion as you move down the root. If using this technique, be careful not to cut too deep and lose too much flesh. You can do this with either the whole root or after it’s cut into a few pieces.
Be sure to remove the brown peel, as well as the thin white layer just beneath it. I use a knife to remove the thick brown peel and then go over it with a vegetable peeler to remove any remnants.
Once peeled, cut away any brown streaks, as these parts are no longer fresh. If the entire yuca is riddled with streaks (like the picture below) throw it out. When cooking with fresh yuca it’s always best to buy a little extra just in case.
*Thoroughly removing the peel is a very important step, as yuca contains linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside, which is located mostly within the peel. If ingested, our digestive system will convert it into hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic in large doses. Please do not let this deter you from eating yuca. The sweet varieties of yuca available in the United States contain very little of this substance (as opposed to the bitter varieties of yuca found in Africa.) You likely eat many other foods containing this same toxin – such as almonds, lima beans, flax seeds, and bamboo shoots without concern. (For more information see: Getting to Know Yuca (cassava): Don’t Eat Raw Yuca.)
Properly peeled and cooked sweet yuca is perfectly safe to eat.
Once peeled, soak fresh yuca in a bowl of water for 20 minutes, then discard the water. Soaking, as well as cooking, further reduces remaining linamarin.
If you have any discomfort with the idea of peeling fresh yuca, (or just don’t have the time for the extra step of peeling it) simply buy it frozen. It’s already peeled, cut and ready to be cooked! There is no need to even defrost it before boiling. I assure you there will be no difference in the yumminess of your recipe!
How to Cook Fresh or Frozen Yuca
Whether fresh (peeled) or frozen, most recipes require yuca to be cut into 3-4 pieces and then boiled for 15-30 minutes, depending on how one plans to use it.
Frozen yuca is already cut into pieces and should not be defrosted before boiling.
When boiling fresh or frozen yuca, make sure the water fully covers it throughout boiling. If using a recipe, follow instructions regarding cooking time, as it varies depending on the dish being made. Here are a few general rules of thumb that I follow.
Boiling times:
-If making yuca into a dough that will be rolled out and further cooked for use as pizza crust, flatbread, or empanadas, for example, boil yuca for 15 minutes (until just fork tender.) If yuca is boiled too long, it becomes mushy and extremely sticky. This can make it very difficult to work with – and the dough tends to be pretty sticky as it is! See below: Tips for Handling Sticky Dough.
-If baking, roasting or grilling yuca after boiling, boil for 15 minutes (until just fork tender.) This works well for recipes such as baked yuca fries or when adding cooked yuca to soups or stews.
-Do not put fresh or frozen yuca directly into a soup or stew before boiling it separately. The boiling step not only cooks it, but allows the toxic linamarin to come out of the yuca and go into the water. The water must then be discarded.
-If making mashed yuca (similar to mashed potatoes) cook yuca until it is mushy – for 30 or even 40 minutes.
-If using boiled yuca in your dish (without further cooking), I boil it for about 25 minutes (until a fork very easily slides in and out with no effort.)
Once yuca has been boiled for the desired amount of time, drain and discard water. Boiled yuca looks slightly translucent and yellow in color.
Once yuca is cool enough to safely touch, transfer to a cutting board and cut each piece in half lengthwise to remove the stick-like center.
Your yuca is now ready to be made into any number of exciting things!!
Tips for Handling Sticky Dough
Handling sticky dough is probably the biggest frustration people have when working with yuca. Once boiled and processed into dough, yuca can become so sticky that people cannot properly roll it out into flatbreads, pizza crusts, empanadas and more. This problem will disappear with these simple tips:
Tip #1: Use parchment paper both under and over dough while rolling it out. Parchment paper is a non-stick surface and will provide greater ease for rolling out dough than a cutting board or other surface. Since I always cook my flatbreads, pizza crusts, etc. on parchment paper it’s very easy to spoon dough directly from my Vitamix onto parchment, roll it out between 2 pieces of parchment and barely touch the dough at all. I then peel off the top layer of parchment (which I then use to roll out my next crust) and place the flatbread/crust and bottom layer of parchment right onto the baking sheet. I once had dough that was sooooo sticky that I couldn’t peel off the top layer of parchment! This problem was likely caused by the dough being too warm and/or moist. I resolved this overly sticky dough dilemma by throwing the whole mess right into the freezer for 10 minutes. The parchment then came right off and rolled out perfectly. This issue led to tip #2.
Tip #2: Allow boiled yuca to cool significantly before processing it into dough. Boiled yuca or yuca dough can be left out on the counter for a little while or put into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. The cooler the yuca, the less sticky it is to work with.
Tip #3: Add a little tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, or coconut flour to the dough to reduce stickiness. Knead flour into dough until it can be handled without sticking to fingers. Then roll out onto parchment paper as usual. It helps to keep fingertips coated in flour as well.
Tip #4: Don’t boil yuca for too long. Boiling excessively will cause mushy yuca and extremely sticky dough. Boil only until fork tender (no longer than 15-20 minutes) when planning to make it into dough.
Tip #5: Boil yuca in large pieces – about 3 pieces per whole root. Boiling in smaller pieces will create a sticky pile of mush.
Tip #6: Don’t over-pulverize while processing into dough. Once it looks like dough, and there are no visible chunks, it’s ready. In the Vitamix, this never takes more than about 30 seconds. (It’s likely to be somewhat longer in a less powerful food processor.) The longer it’s processed, the warmer it becomes, and the stickier and less manageable it will be.
For more great yuca info:
See: About Yuca: Getting to Know Yuca
See: About Yuca: Getting to Know Cassava (Yuca) Flour
See: About Yuca: Yuca Nutrition Facts
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Disclaimer– In Crazy for Yuca I write about my own personal health and diet journey. My experience and recipes are not to be considered expert advice or suggestive that anyone follow any particular diet protocol. Each person’s body and medical issues are individual and need to be evaluated by a medical professional. If you have any concerns due to your specific diagnoses, please consult your doctor before eating yuca.
