Dominican Yuca con Mojo

Yuca con mojo is the No. 1 recipe that takes Belqui Ortiz-Millili right back to Santiago, to her grandmother’s apartment. Her abuela was a great cook, and made a long list of Dominican traditional dishes for little Belqui, she remembers. But this boiled yuca smothered in vinegary red onion mojo was the knockout dish. The one that made her sit up and pay attention to this strange-looking vegetable from her homeland.

”She’d make maduros [fried ripe plantains] or green plantains, but yuca is the one that I loved,” sighs Belqui, one of Familia Kitchen’s favorite Dominican homecooks, who runs the popular food blog Belqui’s Twist.

The funny thing is: Belqui went from hate to love with yuca. Also called cassava, yuca is a starchy root used in the cuisine of many Latino locales, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Panama.

”I remember the first time she gave me yuca and me thinking: This is not good. This tastes really sour. Yuck,“ says Belqui. ”But then she gave it to me topped with mojo, and that was the first time I actually was like: This is really good. Because the oil and vinegar topping made it so nice and moist. It just had a whole different flavor than just-plain-boiled yuca, which if it sits gets dry and awful. But when it’s infused with the oil and those delicious red onions, it retains all the moisture and is very flavorful. There’s something about vinegar and red onion. When they come together, and then you add the oil and cilantro: It’s absolute perfection. It’s just so freakin good.”

Today, yuca con mojo is the definition of abuela cooking for Belqui, who lives in Arizona with her husband and two kids. This is one of the top recipes she trusts to to cook her way home and connect her sons to her Dominican childhood heritage. ”My grandmother has passed now, but we were very, very close. I like to think that I was her favorite granddaughter,” she smiles. ”I‘m not gonna say grandson, but granddaughter for sure. We had a very deep connection. When I make this yuca con mojo, I am thinking of her the entire time.”

Traditionally, yuca con mojo is a side served with such traditional DR dishes as Dominican stewed chicken and Dominican pernil. But Belqui loves yuca con mojo so much, she regularly makes it with two fried eggs, for an easy weeknight dinner everyone in her family welcomes.

”I like to dip the yuca pieces in the soft, runny egg yolks, and it is just so good, so moist. God, it sounds like sex,” she laughs. “Don‘t talk to me about maduros. Or platanos verdes. I don‘t care about all the others. Yuca is the best.”

Ready to Make Belqui’s Dominican Yuca con Mojo?

Dominican Yuca con Mojo

Recipe by Belqui Ortiz-Millili

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Dominican

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb yuca, frozen or fresh, chopped into chunks

• 1 red onion, large, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cube chicken bouillon

• 1/4 cup corn oil

• 3 Tbsp white vinegar

• 2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped, for garnish

Directions

• If using frozen yuca, take out of the freezer.
• If using fresh yuca, peel the skin and chop into chunks, about 2” to 3” long and 1” wide.
• Thinly slice the red onion. Set aside.
• In a large pot, add enough water to cover by at least 1” the amount of yuca you will be cooking.
• Add the frozen or fresh yuca and bring to a boil.
• Once the water is boiling, add 1/2 chicken bouillon cube. Stir.
• Boil the yuca for about 25 minutes, until it becomes soft, but not mushy. Drain the water, cover the pot, and set aside, keeping the yuca warm inside.
• Make the Red Onion Mojo
• In a saucepan, over medium heat, add oil, vinegar and sliced red onions.
• Cook until the red onions are translucent, stirring every so often, about 10 minutes, or to desired tenderness.
  
• Putting It All Together
• Transfer the drained, warm yuca to serving plate.
• Top with red onion mojo, letting the oil-and-vinegary relish drizzle over the yuca pieces.
• Garnish with finely chopped, fresh cilantro and serve.

Notes

• To turn this traditional Dominican side into an easy, complete meal, Belqui likes to serve this dish with two fried eggs, over easy.