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    Home » Recipes » Latin » yuca con mojo cubano

    Published: Nov 8, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 1 Comment

    yuca con mojo cubano

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    Yuca con mojo is a staple side dish of Cuban cuisine. This dish is a must have in most Cuban celebrations, especially Noche Buena.

    In my family, this dish is always served alongside some lechon. We also use the strained fat drippings from the lechon to make our mojo for this dish, giving the yuca a great complexity in flavor that pairs perfectly with the lechon.

    Why you'll love this yuca con mojo Cubano

    • Yuca is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B and Potassium
    • This dish is gluten free.
    • Perfect side dish for any meal.
    • Garlic lover's dream dish.
    • The onions, garlic and citrus add an amazing brightness to the starchy yucca.
    • The pork rinds/pork crackling/ chicharron add a great crunch and variety in texture.

    What is Yuca?

    Yuca is a root vegetable, also known as Cassava and Yucca, that is a drought tolerant vegetable that thrives throughout the Caribbean and South America. It's scientific name is Manihot Esculenta and it's a very starchy veggie with a large amount of carbohydrates. From yuca we also get tapioca and cassava flour.

    Fresh vs. Frozen Yuca

    Fresh Yuca is great, but with it comes the tedious process of peeling and chopping it. Cassava has a very thick rind that requires some muscle and a sharp knife to remove. Using fresh yuca is labor intensive and time consuming.

    For that reason, I prefer frozen yuca use frozen yuca in this recipe. It saves you a lot of time and hassle.

    Fresh Mojo vs Cooked Mojo

    Fresh mojo like the one seen here, is used in Cuban cuisine as a marinade. It's made with sour oranges, garlic and a variety of spices.

    Cooked mojo like the one used in this recipe is made of sauteeing onions and garlic in some type of oil and citrus.

    Ingredients

    • Frozen Yuca
    • Garlic
    • Lime Juice
    • Onions
    • Salt & Pepper
    • Pork Rinds/Chicharron
    • Lechon drippings/Reserved Bacon Grease
    • Parsley

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    How to Cook Yuca Using an Instant Pot

    • Place your yuca into your InstantPot
    • Fill with water up to the Max line ensuring all of the yuca is submerged.
    • Add to the Instant post 2 smashed garlic cloves and 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (adjust for personal taste)
    • Close the Instant Pot and make sure the knob is set to Sealing.
    • Press the Pressure cooker button and set it for 30 minutes.
    • Once the Instant Pot is finished cooking, allow it to Natural Release for 10 minutes.
    • When the Instant pot has released all of its steam, carefully open then lid and using a pair of tongs remove the yuca from the InstantPot and place it on your serving dish.
    • As you remove each piece of yuca, be sure to remove the thick fibrous core from each piece of yuca.

    Make your mojo

    • While the yuca is releasing the steam from the InstantPot, start working on your mojo. Add your lechon fat drippings and sliced onion to a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
    • Once your onions have cooked down and are translucent, add your minced garlic and drown the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly to ensure your garlic doesn't burn and cook for 4-5 minutes.
    • Once your garlic is completely cooked, add your lime juice and stir to combine
    • Carefully pour the mojo over the yuca in the serving dish. Top the yuca with chicharrones or pork rinds for added crunch and dried parsley for extra color.

    Substitutions

    Don't have lechon drippings or reserved bacon grease? Opt for store-bought lard.

    Don't have any limes handy? Opt for sour orange or lemons instead.

    Want to use fresh cassava instead of frozen? Feel free to use 5 lbs of fresh peeled and cut cassava instead.

    Variations

    Want vegan friendly yuca con mojo? Simply omit the chicharrones and use vegetable oil or corn oil instead of the lechon drippings.

    Don't have an InstantPot? You can boil the yucca in a large pot with water for about an hour or until the yuca reaches the desired tenderness.

    Equipment needed for yuca with Cuban mojo

    For this Cuban yuca con mojo dish you'll need an Instantpot

    Storage

    You can store your cooked yuca with Cuban mojo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 2-3 days.

    These ingredients do/don't stand up well to freezing.

    Top tip

    Be sure to cook your minced garlic all the way through before adding your lime juice! The acidity in the lime juice turns raw garlic blue! To avoid blue garlic in your yucca, be sure to cook the garlic all the way through for about 4-5 minutes.

    Check out these other Cuban recipes

    • cuban black beans
      Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
    • Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe
    • cuban white rice
      Cuban White Rice
    • Cuban Avocado Salad (Ensalada de Aguacate Cubana)
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Yuca con mojo Cubano

    Cassava root tossed in onions, garlic and citrus then topped with crunchy pork rinds.
    Prep Time40 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: cuban
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 581kcal
    Author: Cari

    Equipment

    • InstantPot

    Ingredients

    • 5 lbs of frozen yuca
    • 1 ½ tablespoon of salt
    • 1 large yellow onion sliced
    • 2 heads of garlic minced adjust for personal preference
    • ½ cup pork lechon drippings or bacon grease drippings
    • Juice of 1 lime
    • ¼ cup of chopped pork rinds
    • ½ tablespoon of dried parsley optional

    Instructions

    • Place your yuca into your InstantPot
    • Fill with water up to the Max line ensuring all of the yuca is submerged.
    • Add to the Instant post 2 smashed garlic cloves and 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (adjust for personal taste)
    • Close the Instant Pot and make sure the knob is set to Sealing.
    • Press the Pressure cooker button and set it for 30 minutes.
    • Once the Instant Pot is finished cooking, allow it to Natural Release for 10 minutes.
    • Once the Instant pot has released all of its steam, carefully open then lid and using a pair of tongs remove the yuca from the InstantPot and place it onto your serving dish.
    • As you remove each piece of yuca, be sure to remove the thick fibrous core from each piece of yuca.
    • While the yuca is releasing the steam from the InstantPot, start working on your mojo. Add your lechon fat drippings and sliced onion to a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
    • Once your onions have cooked down and are translucent, add your minced garlic and drown the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly to ensure your garlic doesn't burn and cook for 4-5 minutes.
    • Once your garlic is completely cooked, add your lime juice and stir to combine
    • Carefully pour the mojo over the yuca in the serving dish. Top the yuca with chicharrones or pork rinds for added crunch and dried parsley for extra color.

    Notes

    Don't have lechon drippings or reserved bacon grease? Opt for store-bought lard.
    Don't have any limes handy? Opt for sour orange or lemons instead.
    Want to use fresh cassava instead of frozen? Feel free to use 5 lbs of fresh peeled and cut cassava instead.

    Variations

    Want vegan friendly yuca con mojo? Simply omit the chicharrones and use vegetable oil or corn oil instead of the lechon drippings.
    Don't have an InstantPot? You can boil the yucca in a large pot with water for about an hour or until the yuca reaches the desired tenderness.

    Storage

    You can store your cooked yuca con mojo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 2-3 days.
    These ingredients do/don't stand up well to freezing.

    Top tip

    Be sure to cook your garlic all the way through before adding your lime juice! The acidity in the lime juice turns raw garlic blue! To avoid blue garlic in your yucca, be sure to cook the garlic all the way through for about 4-5 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 109g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 1365mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FatGirlHedonist or tag #fatgirlhedonist!

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    Categories: Latin

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    Comments

    1. Lisa Lynn Mas says

      December 21, 2022 at 6:45 pm

      5 stars
      THANK YOU! I’ve turned my garlic blue more than once and didn’t know why. Thank you for that tip.

      Reply

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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

    More about me →

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