This term comes from the vegetable/root: yuca , or cassava. Its very popular on every “soda” or typical restaurant in Costa Rica. I have always Loved them sooooo much, but we don't cook fried items in our kitchen, neither buy them out.
So this is our family version of them, they are baked instead of fried AND vegan & gluten free. I promise you the taste won't change much and they are absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients Makes about 12 units.
Yuca / 2 kilos
Coconut oil / 1/2 cup
Red beans / 1/2 kilo
Onions / 4 med u
Garlic / 1 u
Sweet pepper/ 4 u
Himalayan salt / as needed
Coconut sugar / 2 tbs
Fresh thyme / 1/2 roll
Nutritional yeast / 4 tbs
Fresh cilantro / 1 roll
Tomatoes / 1 kilo
Lemons / 2 u
Olive oil / as needed
Preparation
Soak beans overnight, cook them until soft, let them cool off and smash them.
Chop very fine the garlic, half of onions and half of red peppers.
In a hot skillet put carefully coconut oil and cook the chopped veggies, then add smashed beans, salt, thyme ( without the stems ) and coconut sugar. Mix and set aside. Mix the nutritional yeast with it.
Peel and cook the cassava until tender. Drain water and while is warm smash it. Add 2 tbs of coconut oil and salt.
In a plastic layer put about 200 grs or as much as you can grab with your hand. Make it flat like a thick tortilla.
Put 3 tbs of the beans mix on one side. With your fingers put water on the edges making like a circle and close it like an “empanada” pressing the edges slightly. Repeat until you're done with both mixes. Preheat oven and bake them on a greased tray until golden for about 30 minutes.
Prepare a “tico salsa” or “pico de gallo” with the next ingredients by chopping everything very fine and mixing together. Half of onions, half of red peppers, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, olive oil and chopped cilantro.
I recommend to have them together AND with any of HELPCA artisans spicy sauces if you like spicy food.
Buen provecho!!
Contributed by Maria Aragon
