Yuca con Mojo
Yuca, also called cassava, was a staple root of the Taíno people long before European ships reached Cuba, grown across the island and ground into flour as well as boiled whole. When Spanish colonizers arrived, they paired the starchy root with a garlic sauce built on citrus and olive oil, creating the dish known today as yuca con mojo. Mojo itself is Cuba's signature sauce, built on the sour orange that grows across the island — a fruit too tart to eat raw but perfect for cutting through the richness of oil and garlic. Pouring the hot mojo over the just-boiled yuca while both are steaming is what makes the dish: the sizzle releases the garlic's aroma and coats every piece before it has a chance to cool.
Yuca boiled until meltingly soft
The starchy cassava root simmers until a fork slides through it easily, turning creamy but still holding its shape.
A hot garlic and citrus mojo
Garlic sizzles in hot oil with sour orange juice and cumin, then gets poured straight over the yuca while both are still hot.
Sour orange replaces vinegar
The tart, slightly bitter juice of the sour orange is what gives Cuban mojo its distinctive edge, unlike vinegar-based sauces elsewhere.
A staple side at every table
Yuca con mojo appears alongside almost every Cuban main course, from roast pork to fried fish.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1 kg fresh yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into thick chunks
- 1 tbsp salt, for the cooking water
- 60 ml olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 80 ml sour orange juice (or mix of orange and lime juice)
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make it
- 1Place the yuca chunks in a large pot, cover with cold salted water, and add the bay leaf.
- 2Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25–30 minutes until a fork pierces the yuca easily.
- 3Drain the yuca well, remove the tough fibrous core running through the center of each piece, and arrange it on a serving platter.
- 4Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat and add the sliced onion, cooking for 4–5 minutes until soft.
- 5Add the garlic and cumin and cook for about 1 minute, just until the garlic turns fragrant and light golden.
- 6Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the sour orange juice, which will sizzle sharply against the hot oil.
- 7Season the mojo with salt and pepper and pour it hot over the yuca right before serving.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
