Nicaraguan Vigoron
I’ve decided to start sharing a few Nicaraguan recipes on the blog over the next couple of weeks. They’ll be dishes I’ve grown up eating. You’ll probably never have heard of them. I think it’s important to share them with you because they’re a piece of me. And because Nicaraguan food is delicious. I might be slightly biased, but hopefully you’ll think so too. I’m a third generation American, so it’ll be a great way for both of us to get to know this great culture. The first recipe is this Nicaraguan Vigoron. Basically it’s boiled yuca (cassava) with crispy pork skin and a refreshing cabbage salad. In Nicaragua it’s served as an appetizer or as an all in one main dish. You’ll find street vendors all over the country selling this dish. It’s a great dish to start with because Nicaraguans eat a lot of yuca on a daily basis.
If you can find the yuca and the pork rinds, then you highly recommend you give this recipe a try. I know that it might seem little out there for most of you, but I promise it’s really good. If you can’t find yuca, or don’t like it, you can try it out with potatoes instead. Boil whole potatoes until fork tender then drain and peel with a pairing knife and cut into pieces. Try it out either way, promise?
Nicaraguan Vigoron
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh yuca root cassava
- 1 small head of cabbage or half of a large head
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- 1/2 small onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 pound fried pork skin or pork rinds
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut the ends of the yuca root and then cut it into 4-inch chunks. Cut the skin off, in the same manner as you would if you were cutting the skin off an orange for segments. Rinse the peeled yuca and then place it in a large pot. Fill with water, making sure to cover the yuca completely. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Make sure to not over-cook the yucca or else it’ll become mushy.
- To make the cabbage salad, finely shred the cabbage, as if making coleslaw. You can use a mandolin with the cross blade or you can finely shred it with a sharp knife. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the cabbage once more, and return to the bowl. Add the diced tomatoes, onion, apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and salt. Mix until evenly combined. Wrap in plastic and let sit at room temperature or in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Once the yuca is cooked through, remove from the water and place on a cutting board. Cut into bite sized pieces, discarding any fibrous pieces.
- To assemble the vigoron, place the yuca pieces on individual plates or bowls, and top with pieces of pork rinds and the cabbage salad. Serve immediately and enjoy!
