J\u00ed\u00adcamas are one of the many Mexican ingredients that luckily, have become readily available outside of the country. Also known as Mexican yams or turnips, they are also a root vegetable. But they are far from the latter in flavor, texture or cooking uses.<\/p>\n
They are mostly (and as far as I know also successfully) eaten raw. No need to try to cook them, for many of the qualities they are loved for would be lost. They have a similar taste and crunch as the water chestnuts, but in my view, j\u00ed\u00adcamas are more refreshing, crispy, sweet and watery.<\/p>\n
Their size varies, and that has little to do with how good\u00a0they are. You can find very cute baby j\u00ed\u00adcamas in Mexico, but I haven’t seen them here. From the\u00a0outside they look like a coconut once the hard green cover has been removed. Their light brown peel is very fibrous and should be removed before\u00a0eating. Be sure to peel it well or a very thin white layer that is also\u00a0fibrous and uncomfortable to eat remains there. Inside they are white and appear to be moist, given\u00a0how watery they are.<\/p>\n
In Mexico they are an incredibly popular snack, which is very\u00a0convenient since they are low fat, filled with proteins, filling and\u00a0easy to digest. They are eaten by themselves or combined with other vegetables or fruits, drizzled with fresh lime juice,\u00a0salt and dried ground chile, such as Piqu\u00ed\u00adn, or a chile sauce,\u00a0such as Bufalo or Valentina, to name a few. They are also a favorite\u00a0ingredient for salads. Lately, when we have visited\u00a0Mexico, I have seen sophisticated twists such as vegetarian versions of\u00a0enchiladas and tacos, in which they are sliced incredibly thin and used as a wrap.<\/p>\n
When you go look for J\u00ed\u00adcamas, choose those hard to the touch and with no\u00a0signs of moisture on their peel. Once you bring them home, refrigerate\u00a0them until ready to use. But don’t let many days go by or they will age and\u00a0become mushy and acquire an unappealing flavor. You know they\u00a0have passed their time if once you peel and slice them, instead of white, the\u00a0flesh has become light brown. After they are peeled and sliced, keep them covered in the refrigerator or they will dry considerably.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
J\u00ed\u00adcamas are one of the many Mexican ingredients that luckily, have become readily available outside of the country. Also known as Mexican yams or turnips, they are also a root vegetable. But they are far from the latter in flavor, texture or cooking uses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[1936],"tags":[],"dish":[],"meal":[],"event_type":[],"recipe-ingredient":[1904],"region":[],"time":[],"series":[],"yoast_head":"\n