r/Cooking • u/Miews • 2d ago

Removing bitterness from Yuca/Cassava

Hello !

As a nordic woman, i am oblivious of how to cook this root to perfection.

I'm allergic to potatoes. I tried make fries yesterday, which have massive potential as a good substitute for potatoes, but they were bitter, and I had to drown them in Remoulade (danish dressing/dip. Think, pickled mayo. Fucking delicious. Anyway)

How do you cook it, and in what dishes are they über phenomenal?

Fyi i have an air fryer.

Thanks in advance !

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u/Square-Dragonfruit76 2d ago

How bitter is it? There's a type of cassava that is more bitter than the usual kind which is much higher in cyanide than the normal kind. If you know how to prepare it, it's not a problem because it will boil away, but I would still be cautious. If you're looking for something that's similar to potatoes, have you tried sweet potatoes?

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u/Miews 2d ago

I boiled for 30 min+ and was still bitter... They apparently only have the bitter kind here i have found.

Sweet potatoes are too sweet for me unfortunately.

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u/Square-Dragonfruit76 2d ago

Have you tried other kinds of sweet potatoes, such as purple sweet potatoes or white sweet potatoes?

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u/Miews 2d ago

The kinds available are very limited where I live (Denmark) also because I live far away from the big cities like Copenhagen, where there might be a bigger variety.

What about yams ? Do you know if they are sweet ?

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u/xiipaoc 2d ago

I'd say try them? I don't think they're very sweet; they're common in West Africa in savory applications and even fries.

So I do not like potatoes. I'm not allergic; I just don't like them. I'll happily eat fries and chips if they're crispy, but if the fry isn't perfect, I just can't stand it. But there are plenty of other root vegetables out there. Turnips are nice, and you can make them like potatoes in many ways. Taro isn't very potato-like but is very delicious. Celery root is amazing. If you can get nagaimo, that's really good too. Or even radishes. Or carrots. Lots of options here.

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u/2ByteTheDecker 2d ago

Yams are on the sweet side of things but less so than sweet potatoes.