andrejthechef
Dominican RepublicPancakesBreakfastGluten-freeDairy-free

Arepitas de Yuca con Huevos

Crisp Dominican arepitas de yuca: grated cassava fried into golden, lacy-edged patties and served with fried eggs. Naturally gluten-free and ready in under an hour.

prep
25 min
cook
30 min
total
55 min
serves
4
level
medium
Plate of crisp shredded yuca fritters with golden lacy edges beside two fried eggs with bright orange yolks

Arepitas de yuca are small fried patties of grated yuca (cassava), a root that is a staple across the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. They are cooked in a skillet until the edges are lacy and crisp, and served with fried eggs for breakfast. Their texture sits somewhere between a hash brown and a latke, a little chewy in the middle.

Raw yuca is very wet and starchy. Squeeze out the liquid in a clean towel, then pour off the water and scrape the starch left at the bottom of the bowl back into the grated yuca: the starch is the binder and makes the patties crisp. Remove the hard, woody core running down the center of each root before grating. Cook the patties thin and all the way through, because yuca should never be eaten raw or undercooked.

Arepitas de Yuca con Huevos is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.

method

  1. Cut each yuca root into 10 cm (4 in) lengths and peel off the brown skin and the waxy pink layer beneath it with a knife. Quarter each piece lengthwise and cut out the tough, stringy core in the center.

  2. Grate the yuca on the large holes of a box grater, or use the grating disc of a food processor. Put the grated yuca in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth over a bowl and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

  3. Let the squeezed-out liquid stand for 5 minutes, then pour off the water and leave the white starch at the bottom of the bowl. Scrape the starch back into the grated yuca. Add the salt, pepper, garlic and sugar and mix well with your hands.

  4. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scoop up about 1/4 cup of the yuca, press it into a loose patty and slide it into the pan, then flatten to about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick and 8 cm (3 in) wide. Fit 3 or 4 in the pan.

  5. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes per side without moving them, until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges and cooked through in the center. Add more oil between batches as needed. Drain on a wire rack and keep warm in a 100°C (200°F) oven.

  6. Fry the eggs in the remaining oil in a clean skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the edges are lacy, leaving the yolks runny. Season lightly.

  7. Serve the arepitas hot, 3 per person, with the fried eggs alongside.

chef's tips

  • Keep the patties thin. Thick patties brown outside before the middle is cooked, and undercooked yuca is gummy.
  • Frozen grated yuca (sold in Latin markets) works well. Thaw it completely and squeeze it very dry.
  • If the patties fall apart in the pan, the mixture is too wet or lost its starch. Mix in a teaspoon of cassava or potato starch.
  • Serve right away. These soften as they sit, though a few minutes in a hot oven brings back the crunch.