Los Tuxtlas Fried Cassava (Yuca Frita)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot for boiling the yuca
• •Dry comal for toasting chiles
• •Volcanic stone molcajete
• •Wide heavy skillet or cured Naolinco clay cazuela for frying
• •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the yuca

   Trim the ends from the yuca. Score the brown skin lengthwise through the pink layer underneath, then work a knife under the peel and pull it away in strips. Cut the yuca into 3-inch lengths and split each piece lengthwise. If you see gray streaks, black lines, or a sour smell, throw that piece out. Fresh yuca should be firm and clean white. Remove the woody center now if it comes away easily; if it holds tight, remove it after boiling.

   Frozen peeled yuca is better than old fresh yuca. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade, but bad yuca ruins the dish before the pot is even on.
2. 2

   Boil until tender

   Put the yuca in a heavy pot with the cold water, kosher salt, white onion, and crushed garlic. Bring to a steady simmer and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until the pieces split at the edges and a knife slides through without resistance. Do not fry raw yuca. Cassava must be peeled and cooked through first. That is safety and technique in the same pot.

3. 3

   Drain and dry

   Drain the yuca and discard the onion, garlic, and cooking water. Pull out any woody cores that remain. Spread the pieces on a clean towel or wire rack for 15 minutes. The surface should look dry and a little chalky at the edges. Wet yuca spits in the lard and browns poorly. Patience here gives you a crisp outside and a creamy center.

4. 4

   Make chile salsa

   While the yuca dries, heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile de arbol for about 10 seconds per side and the chile morita for 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant and darkened in spots. Toast the unpeeled garlic until the skins are spotted and the cloves soften, then peel them. Grind the sea salt and garlic in a molcajete, add the toasted chiles, and work them into a rough paste. Stir in the naranja agria juice a little at a time. The salsa should be sharp, smoky, and salty enough to wake up the yuca.

   Burned chile tastes bitter. If a chile turns black instead of toasted red-brown, throw it out and start with another. There is no fixing burned chile later.
5. 5

   Heat the lard

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a wide heavy skillet or cured clay cazuela over medium-high heat until it reaches 350F, or until a small piece of yuca sizzles immediately when it touches the fat. You need about 1 inch of lard, not a decorative spoonful. La manteca es el sabor. Neutral oil fries the starch, but it does not give you the Veracruz table.

6. 6

   Fry in batches

   Lower the dried yuca pieces into the lard in batches, leaving space between them. Fry 4 to 6 minutes per batch, turning once or twice, until the outside is deep golden with crisp ridges and the inside stays soft. If the pieces brown too fast, lower the heat. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Salt them while they are still glossy from the lard.

7. 7

   Serve Veracruz style

   Line a green Jalapa plate or shallow Naolinco barro cazuela with the banana leaf. Pile the yuca generously, with the salsa de chile seco in a molcajete beside it and lime halves on the table. Serve with frijoles negros de olla and fried Gulf fish. Black beans, not pinto. This is Veracruz. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •At the mercado, choose yuca that feels heavy and firm, with tight brown skin and no soft spots. If the vendor cuts a piece open for you, the flesh should be white. Gray or black streaks mean it is old. Preguntale a las señoras del mercado. They know before the supermarket clerk does.
• •Do not skip the boil. Cassava is not a potato. It needs peeling and thorough cooking before frying, both for texture and for safety. The center should split and soften before it ever touches the lard.
• •The fat is manteca de cerdo. If pork is off your table, use a neutral oil honestly and know what you are giving up. The method will work, but the flavor will not be the one from the Veracruz lowland kitchen.
• •If you cannot find naranja agria, mix 1/4 cup fresh lime juice with 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice. It is a compromise, not an upgrade. Naranja agria has a bitter edge that regular citrus does not.
• •Serve this with frijoles negros, not pinto beans. The black bean rules in Veracruz. Pinto belongs to other tables, and those tables have their own dignity.

Advance Preparation

• •The yuca can be peeled, boiled, cored, and refrigerated up to 24 hours ahead. Spread it on a towel-lined tray and cover loosely so the surface dries instead of sweating.
• •The salsa de chile seco can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before serving, and add a spoonful of fresh naranja agria juice if it tightens.
• •Fried yuca is best eaten immediately. If you must reheat it, use a 425F oven for 8 to 10 minutes on a wire rack. A microwave makes it heavy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)