Yuca con Mojo

“This root doesn’t just feed the body—it remembers the ancestors, the ships, the soil, and still shows up dressed in brilliance.”

Yuca con Mojo

Yuca con Mojo is a beloved Cuban and Caribbean dish made from starchy cassava root boiled until tender and smothered in a garlicky citrus sauce. It’s earthy, bright, and elemental—a side dish that eats like a declaration.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into chunks
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ½ small onion, thinly sliced (optional but traditional in some regions)
  • Juice of 2 limes (or 1 sour orange if you can get it)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
  • Salt, to taste
  • Chopped parsley or cilantro, for garnish (optional)

How The Alchemy Happens

  1. Boil yuca in salted water until fork-tender, about 25–30 minutes. Remove any fibrous threads from the center. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic (and onion if using) and sauté until just golden—don’t let it burn.
  3. Add cumin, stir briefly, then remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Let it sizzle. Salt to taste.
  4. Pour hot mojo sauce over the yuca. Let it soak.
  5. Garnish with herbs if desired, or leave it unadorned—this dish doesn’t need help standing tall.

🔙 Back to the Kitchen

“Let them call it a side. We know it carries whole histories in its skin.”