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El Salvador, Americas · Yuca Frita

Gochujang-Honey Yuca Fries with Kimchi Curtido

A Korean × Salvadoran mash-up: crisp yuca fries tossed in a sticky gochujang, honey and butter glaze, with a curtido brightened by kimchi.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time55 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsNever eat yuca (cassava) raw. Remove the bark and pink inner layer completely and boil it until fully tender before frying.

Method

  1. Kimchi curtido: finely shred the cabbage and julienne the carrot. Lightly squeeze the kimchi and cut it into 1 cm strips. Toss everything with the rice vinegar and sesame oil and keep it in the fridge while you prepare the yuca.

    Add in this stepGreen cabbage 150 gCarrot 40 gWell-fermented cabbage kimchi 80 gRice vinegar 2 tbspToasted sesame oil 1 tsp

  2. Cut the yuca into 6–8 cm sections, remove the brown bark and pink layer and halve lengthwise. Put it in a 20 cm pot, cover with cold water by 3 cm, add the salt, bring to the boil on high heat, then lower to medium heat and simmer for . Take it out as soon as a fork slides in easily.

    Add in this stepYuca (cassava), fresh or frozen 500 gSalt (for the cooking water) 2 tsp

    high heat→medium heat

  3. Let it steam in the colander for , pull out the cores and cut into 2 cm fingers. Pat dry and coat thinly and evenly in potato starch. The starch shell keeps the fries crisp even under the glaze.

    Add in this stepPotato starch 2 tbsp

  4. Heat 4–5 cm of oil in a deep pot on medium-high heat to 180 °C. Shake off any excess starch and fry the yuca in 2 batches, per batch, until golden and crisp, then lift onto a rack. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat, and never leave the pot unattended.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil for frying 700 ml

    medium-high heat

  5. Glaze: melt the butter in a wide 26 cm pan on medium-low heat and fry the garlic until fragrant, then add the gochujang, honey, soy sauce and water and stir for until bubbling and glossy. Honey burns easily, so don't turn the heat up.

    Add in this stepButter 15 gGarlic cloves, minced 2Gochujang (Korean chilli paste) 2 tbspHoney 2 tbspSoy sauce 2 tspWater 2 tbsp

    medium-low heat

  6. Turn the heat off (heat off), add the fried yuca and toss quickly until evenly coated. Plate, scatter with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions and serve right away with the kimchi curtido; glazed fries soften as they sit.

    Add in this stepToasted sesame seeds 1 tspSpring onions 1

    heat off

Cook's tip

Control the heat with the amount of gochujang. For children, halve the gochujang and replace it with the same amount of ketchup. If the glaze gets too thick, loosen it with water a teaspoon at a time.

Cooking it at camp

Boil the yuca at home; at camp, shallow-fry it in 1 cm of oil in a cast-iron pan, turning once. Pour off the oil, make the glaze in the same pan and toss straight away – one pan to wash.