Plate 09 of 10

Yuca con Chicharrón

Cassava boiled in heavily salted water until internal pressure splits it open along its own longitudinal seams — and then drained the instant it does, because left sitting in the hot water the starches retrograde into glue. Over it goes pork belly fried in two phases into glass-like crackling.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 35 min
Serves: 4 generous platters
Difficulty: Easy

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A rimmed plate of white boiled cassava chunks beside thick slices of fried pork belly, a pile of shredded cabbage and carrot slaw, and a small dish of red sauce.

In the open-air market stalls of El Progreso and Comayagua, huge enamel platters overflow with yuca con chicharrón.

Fresh cassava is peeled, cut into thick logs and boiled in salted water until it swells and bursts open along its natural fissures, fork-tender and snow-white. Piled over the warm yuca goes a mountain of finely shredded green cabbage, and over that, hot freshly fried pork belly cut into crunchy golden nuggets.

The whole plate is then smothered in warm cooked tomato and pepper salsa criolla, topped with bright pink pickled onions and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

The yuca
1.2 kgFresh yuca root, peeled, woody ends trimmed, cut into 8 cm logs
20 gCoarse sea salt, for the boiling water
The chicharrón
800 gFresh pork belly with the skin on, cut into 3 cm chunks
200 mlWater, for the initial render
4 clovesFresh garlic, crushed to a paste
5 gCumin seeds, freshly toasted and ground
8 gFine sea salt
2 gFreshly ground black pepper
500 mlRendered pork lard, or frying oil
The salsa criolla
4 largeRipe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and puréed
1 mediumYellow onion, finely diced
1 mediumSweet green bell pepper, finely diced
30 mlAchiote oil
15 mlWhite cane vinegar
To finish
400 gGreen cabbage, shredded paper-thin on a mandoline
240 mlEncurtido — pickled red onions with vinegar and habanero
2 largeFresh limes, halved

Drain the moment it cracks

As the cells swell past 85 °C the internal pressure fractures the tuber along its seams. Leave it sitting in the hot water after that and the starches retrograde into something waterlogged and slimy.

Salt the water generously

20 g of coarse salt to 2.5 litres. Cassava is dense and bland, and this is the only chance to season it right through.

Two phases for the crackling

Simmering in a little water with garlic and cumin cooks the meat and renders the subcutaneous fat. Only once that water has gone does 180 °C lard vaporise the skin moisture into the steam bubbles that make crackling.

Below 160 °C the skin stays rubber

There is no gradual version of this. The skin either reaches puffing temperature or it does not.

Shred the cabbage paper-thin

Thick slaw stays chewy. Paper-thin, it wilts slightly under the warm salsa and becomes part of the plate.

Passive time, counted separately

The shredded cabbage crisps 2 minutes in ice water and drains dry. That sits outside the times quoted above.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt penetrates the dense boiled yuca and seasons the cracklings. Fat is rendered pork belly and crackling skin against the neutral cassava. Acid is cane vinegar in the pickled onions and lime straight through the pork fat. Heat is garlic, toasted cumin, black pepper and the encurtido. Umami is fried pork fond, cooked tomato salsa and boiled yuca starch.

Equipment

6 qt saucepan
5 qt Dutch oven with a deep-fry thermometer
Saucepan, for the salsa
Mandoline
Colander and tongs

Traditionally a heavy aluminium pot for the yuca and a cast-iron paila for the chicharrón. A 6-quart saucepan and a 5-quart Dutch oven with a thermometer work in a modern kitchen — the thermometer is there for the 180 °C the skin needs.

Method

Boil the yuca25 min
Cover the yuca logs with cold water by 3 cm and add the 20 g coarse salt.
Boil hard 20 to 25 minutes until the yuca swells, cracks open along its seams, and a knife goes through with no resistance. Drain immediately, pull out any tough central cords, and keep warm.
Cover yuca by 3 cm with cold water and add 20 g coarse salt. Boil hard 20–25 minutes until swollen, split and easily pierced. Drain immediately, remove tough central cords and keep warm.
Fry the chicharrón24 min
Season the pork belly with the garlic paste, cumin, black pepper and 8 g salt, and boil in the Dutch oven with 200 ml water 12 minutes until the water goes and the pork spatters in its own fat.
Add the 500 ml lard to submerge it and fry at 180 °C for 10 to 12 minutes, turning, until the skin puffs into golden crisp bubbles. Drain on paper towel.
Season pork with garlic, cumin, pepper and 8 g salt. Boil with 200 ml water 12 minutes until water evaporates and pork fries in its fat. Add 500 ml lard to submerge; fry at 180 °C 10–12 minutes, turning, until skin puffs crisp and golden. Drain on paper.
Cook the salsa criolla14 min
Sauté the onion and green pepper in the achiote oil 4 minutes.
Add the puréed tomato, the vinegar, ½ tsp cumin, black pepper and 1 tsp salt, and simmer on medium-low 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
Sauté the onion and green pepper in the achiote oil 4 minutes.
Add the puréed tomato, the vinegar, ½ tsp cumin, black pepper and 1 tsp salt, and simmer on medium-low 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
Shred and crisp the cabbage5 min
Shred the cabbage paper-thin, rinse it in ice water 2 minutes to crisp, and drain completely dry.
Shred the cabbage paper-thin, rinse it in ice water 2 minutes to crisp, and drain completely dry.
Build the platter
Lay the warm yuca logs across each platter and heap shredded cabbage over them.
Mound the hot crackling on top, ladle over the warm salsa criolla, crown with a spoonful of pink encurtido, and serve with lime halves.
Lay the warm yuca logs across each platter and heap shredded cabbage over them.
Mound the hot crackling on top, ladle over the warm salsa criolla, crown with a spoonful of pink encurtido, and serve with lime halves.
06
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: snow-white burst yuca logs under crisp green cabbage, golden-chestnut cracklings, red salsa and magenta pickled onion.
- Auditory: a glass-like shatter through the hot crackling, and the silent yield of the boiled yuca.
- Olfactory: rendered pork lard, stewed tomato, garlic, boiling cassava and sharp cane vinegar.
Look for split white yuca beneath crisp green cabbage, golden-chestnut pork, red sauce and magenta onion. The crackling should shatter while yuca yields easily; expect lard, cooked tomato, garlic, cassava and cane-vinegar aromas.

Troubleshooting

Waterlogged, slimy yuca.: It sat in the hot water after cooking. Drain the moment it cracks open.
Rubbery crackling skin.: The oil was below 160 °C. The skin has to reach 180 °C to puff.
Chewy cabbage.: It was cut too thick. Shred it paper-thin on a mandoline.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Fresh yuca	Frozen peeled cassava	One-to-one, boiled straight from frozen in 18 to 20 minutes
Pork belly	Pork shoulder carnitas-style, or bacon lardons	One-to-one, fried until genuinely crisp
Encurtido	Pickled jalapeño escabeche, or pickled red onions	One-to-one for the acidic garnish

Scaling

Half, for 2 platters

Halve everything. Boiling and frying times are identical.

Double, for 8 platters

Double everything and fry the chicharrón in two batches to hold 180 °C.

What to serve it with

Encurtido de cebolla with habanero and allspice
Extra warm salsa criolla
An ice-cold SalvaVida, or fresh passionfruit juice

Questions

Can I use frozen yuca?

Yes. Frozen peeled cassava needs no thawing and boils tender in 18 to 20 minutes straight from frozen.

Is there a lighter version?

Use roasted shredded pork shoulder — chicharrón de carne — instead of deep-fried belly.

How do I peel fresh yuca?

Cut the root into 8 cm cylinders, slit the brown bark vertically, and slide a knife blade under it to pop the thick rind off in sheets.