Mojo de Yuca Jarocho

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy pot for boiling yuca
• •Volcanic stone molcajete or sharp chef's knife for crushing garlic
• •Small skillet for warming the oil
• •Wide barro negro or dark clay cazuela for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the yuca

   Peel the yuca deeply enough to remove the waxy skin and the pinkish layer beneath it. Cut it into 3-inch pieces. If you see a thick woody center now, leave it until after boiling, when it pulls out more cleanly. Rinse the pieces under cold water. Yuca should smell clean and faintly sweet, not sour.

2. 2

   Boil until tender

   Put the yuca in a large pot and cover with cold water by two inches. Add the salt and bay leaf. Bring to a steady simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until the pieces split slightly at the edges and a knife slides through without resistance. Do not undercook yuca. Hard yuca is not firm, it is unfinished.

3. 3

   Remove the vein

   Drain the yuca, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. While the pieces are still warm, split them open and pull out the fibrous center vein. Discard the bay leaf. Put the warm yuca in a wide clay cazuela or serving bowl. This is when it can still drink the mojo.

4. 4

   Crush the garlic

   Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt in a molcajete until it becomes a rough paste. If you mince it with a knife, mince it fine and then smear it against the board with the side of the blade. Big raw chunks of garlic are laziness, not character.

5. 5

   Warm the oil

   Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-low. Add the garlic paste and cook 45 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold at the edges. Do not brown it. Brown garlic turns bitter fast, and bitter garlic takes over the whole bowl.

6. 6

   Build the mojo

   Take the skillet off the heat. Stir in the sour orange juice carefully, then add the oregano, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved yuca cooking water. The sauce should taste sharp, salty, garlicky, and round with oil. If your sour orange is weak, add the lime juice. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade, but it keeps the balance honest.

7. 7

   Dress the yuca

   Pour the warm mojo over the warm yuca. Add the sliced white onion and jalapeño if using. Fold gently with a spoon, not so hard that you break the yuca into paste. Let it sit 10 minutes before serving so the citrus and garlic settle into the cassava. Taste for salt at the end. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh yuca that feels heavy and has white flesh when cut. Gray streaks, black veins, or a sour smell mean it is old. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. They know which pieces are good before you do.
• •Sour orange is the right citrus here. If you cannot find it, use 3 tablespoons orange juice mixed with 1 tablespoon lime juice for every 1/4 cup needed. You will miss the bitter floral edge of true naranja agria, but the dish will still work.
• •This mojo is not supposed to be hot. The jalapeño is optional and should sit behind the garlic and sour orange. Not all Mexican food is chile-first. Veracruz knows acidity, oil, and aromatics.
• •Do not drown the yuca in cold bottled dressing. The point is warm oil waking the garlic, then citrus cutting through it. No me vengas con atajos.

Advance Preparation

• •The yuca can be boiled, deveined, and refrigerated one day ahead. Rewarm it gently with a splash of water before dressing so it can absorb the mojo.
• •The mojo can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature and whisk before using, but warm it lightly before folding into the yuca.
• •Leftovers keep for three days. Serve at room temperature or gently warmed. Cold yuca straight from the refrigerator tastes dull.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)