Have you ever woken up at 5am excited about the next Cuban-Thai fusion you are about to make? Well, I just did. And it truly is exciting, yet simple. Don't you love it when something is simple to make but it feels like an explosion of flavors in your mouth? Well, here it is, yuca con mojo. Strike that, it is yuca with nam jim talay! I know mi gente are already asking, '¿Qué carajo es eso?' and that’s okay. Honestly, it’s better if you don’t even look at the ingredients first—just eat the yuca. But if you’re ready to see how this Havana-meets-Bangkok magic happens, here’s the secret.
Imagine if a Cuban mojo had a baby with a spicy Asian dipping sauce. This dish is salty, intensely garlicky, and has that authentic lime pucker we love on our yuca—but with a funky and spicy flavor that’ll make you wish you had it like this for all these years.
I told my wife I was going to call this ‘Un Mojo Chino,' and she almost kicked me out of the kitchen! So, out of respect for her Thai roots… we’re calling this Yuca con Thai Mojo. But between us Cubanos… it’s the best mojo chino you’ll ever have.
It has that same sharp garlic bite we crave, but with the added ‘picante’ of Thai bird’s eye chilies. It’s like a mojo that finally decided to wake up and party. If you don’t eat spicy, just add a piece of one, just for flavor, pero tienes que echarle picante.
Cuban yuca with Thai Mojo — creamy boiled or crispy fried yuca, served with a sharp, garlicky Thai Mojo (Nam Jim Talay) that mi gente will not see coming. Salty, sour, and spicy. This one will completely change how you eat yuca.
Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the yuca. Salt generously—the water should taste salty.
Add the frozen yuca directly; no need to thaw.
Using a mortar and pestle, add the garlic cloves unpeeled. Hit them a couple of times — the skin will separate easily. Remove and discard the skins. Add the Thai chilies and smash everything together with the garlic.
Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and shallots directly to the mortar if it's large enough. If not, scrape all the solids into a bowl and add the liquids there. A few good stirs with a spoon is all it needs—no blender required.
If you are frying half the yuca, set aside about one third of the sauce now for dipping before you dress the boiled yuca.
Once the yuca is fork tender, carefully drain the water. Handle the pieces gently — at this point the yuca is very soft and will fall apart easily if mishandled. While still hot, remove the woody vein running through the center of each piece.
If you are frying some of the yuca, set it aside now before pouring the Thai Mojo.
Pour the Thai Mojo generously over the yuca right after you drain and plate it.
Heat enough oil in a deep fryer or FryDaddy for deep frying. Add the reserved boiled yuca pieces carefully. Fry until golden brown.
Let the fried yuca rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the remaining Thai Mojo on the side for dipping.
Welcome to Cuban Thai Kitchen. I'm Dimitri, and if you want to know how a Cuban ended up loving Thai food this much, my story is below.