Yuca frita con chicharrón
Boiled-then-fried cassava batons with crisp pork belly, curtido and a thin tomato salsa — Salvadoran plaza food.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Yuca frita is cassava boiled until tender, cooled, cut into fat batons and fried until the outside shatters and the inside stays fluffy. On top goes chicharrón, here pork belly cubes rendered slowly in their own fat until crisp, then a pile of curtido and a thin tomato salsa. Cassava has more starch and less water than potato, so the chips come out crunchier and denser; they are also far more forgiving to fry. A squeeze of lime at the table. This is a plate to share, eaten with fingers, and it takes about an hour including the boil.
What you'll need
11 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Yuca, fresh or frozen, peeled, in 8 cm lengths1 kg
- Pork, belly, skin on, 3 cm cubes600 g
- Neutral oil, for frying500 ml
- Salt9.9 ml
- Garlic, 2 crushed for the pork, 1 for the salsa3 clove
- Water, for boiling2½ l
- Tomato, for the salsa3 medium
- Onion½ medium
- Fresh chilli, jalapeño, optional heat (optional)1 small
- Lime, wedges, to serve2
- Cabbage, as curtido (see the curtido recipe), to serve200 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put the pork belly in a cold, wide pan with the crushed garlic, a teaspoon of salt and a splash of water. Set over medium-low heat. Let the water cook off and the fat render, turning now and then, until the cubes are deep brown and crisp, 40-45 minutes.
45 min
Tip: Low and slow. If the pan smokes, the fat is too hot and the pork will toughen before it crisps.
Step 2
Meanwhile boil the yuca in salted water until a knife slides in with no resistance, 20-25 minutes. Drain, cool until you can handle it, pull out the woody central cord and cut into thick batons.
30 min
Step 3
Simmer the tomatoes, onion, remaining garlic and chilli in a little water for 8 minutes, then blend thin with salt. This is the salsa, served warm or at room temperature.
10 min
Step 4
Heat the oil to 180°C. Fry the yuca batons in batches until golden and blistered, 4-5 minutes, lifting them out with a spider onto paper. Salt immediately.
15 min180°C
Watch: Dry the boiled yuca well before frying; wet batons spit.
Step 5
Pile yuca on a plate, scatter the chicharrón over, heap curtido on top and spoon over salsa. Lime wedges on the side.
3 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 989 kcal
- Protein
- 49 g
- Carbs
- 110.7 g
- Fat
- 38.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.3 g
- Fibre
- 7.6 g
- Sugar
- 10.8 g
- Sodium
- 2362 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Fresh pork belly → Bought pork rinds or carnitas
Quick and acceptable. Warm them through so they are not cold against the hot yuca.
Tips
- Frozen peeled yuca is excellent here and avoids the peeling. Boil it from frozen.
- Boiled yuca can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Cold yuca fries up even crisper.
History & culture
Afternoon and evening food from carts and comedores across El Salvador, famous in the plazas of San Salvador and in towns like Juayúa on the Ruta de las Flores. Also sold as yuca salcochada, simply boiled, for those who want it softer. Served on a banana leaf or paper plate, often with a cold Pilsener.
Cassava is native to the region and was a staple of the Pipil and Lenca long before corn-flour pupusas dominated. Pork and the technique of rendering it into chicharrón arrived with the Spanish. The frying-after-boiling step is a twentieth-century street refinement; the boiled version is older.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Yuca frita con chicharrón take?
1 hr 10 min all in — 20 min prep, 50 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot, Frying pan, Spider or strainer, Blender.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Fresh pork belly → Bought pork rinds or carnitas. Quick and acceptable. Warm them through so they are not cold against the hot yuca.
What should I watch for?
Dry the boiled yuca well before frying; wet batons spit.
Any tips from this recipe?
Frozen peeled yuca is excellent here and avoids the peeling. Boil it from frozen. Boiled yuca can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Cold yuca fries up even crisper.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Boiled yuca can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Cold yuca fries up even crisper.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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