Cassava with garlic and onions (Yuca al mojo)

Cassava, yuca (not yucca), or manioc is a root vegetable traditionally eaten in many cultures; in South East Asia it’s eaten in soups, as a rice replacement, in desserts like this cake, or as a snack (cassava chips).  Ever since I started AIP, I’ve been venturing into unfamiliar cuisines and discovering new recipes made with old and familiar ingredients!  AIP is like a culinary and geographical adventure to me.  I recently learned how to prepare this root in a Puerto Rican style, which was so simple and delicious that I wanted to share my version here.

All cassava in North America and Canada are coated with a hard layer of wax to prevent them from spoiling quickly as they are very perishable in nature.  Plan to cook them as quickly as you can after buying them as they can go bad easily.  How do you tell if a cassava has gone bad?  If it starts developing mold, soft and spongy spots, or a disagreeable odour.  Sometimes it may not be apparent until you cut it, so do take note!  That’s when you’ll have to toss it out.  Raw cassava is toxic, so please do not snack on it during food prep!  It can be found at grocery stores catering to multi-ethnic cultures usually.  I get mine from the Asian or African grocers where they are cheaper.

If you’ve never bought or prepared cassava root before, it may seem slightly intimidating but in actual fact it’s really easy to prepare.  Cut the ends off and chop the cassava into manageable 3 inch lengths before removing the skin with the knife.  There’s a hard and fibrous core (like a wiry root) running through the middle so you’ll have to halve the chunks lengthwise and cut the core out.  Once that’s done the chunks can be sliced into long wedges and cooked.  Here’s a link to a video teaching how to cut and peel cassava.

Cooked cassava has a starchy texture reminiscent of potato and a very mild flavour.  In this recipe, the cooked cassava wedges are tossed with an aromatic blend of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and onions.  My family loves this so much, and my sons polish theirs off their plates before eating anything else!  I think they love it much more than mashed potatoes which I no longer cook while on the AIP, of course.

Have you tried cassava before?  What recipe did you use?