Nicaraguan Vigoron-Inspired Yuca Bowls

Ingredients

• 12 oz pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 lb yuca, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red chili, minced
• 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Make the curtido first: toss the cabbage, tomatoes, onion, chili, vinegar, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt together and leave for at least 30 minutes, turning once, so it wilts and sharpens.
2. Peel the yuca thickly, removing the bark and the pink layer beneath, and cut out the woody core that runs down the centre. Yuca must always be peeled and cooked through.
3. Boil the yuca in well-salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until completely tender and beginning to split open at the edges. Drain and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile put the pork in a pan with 1 cup water and a pinch of salt, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, until tender.
5. Uncover and raise the heat, cooking off the water until only rendered fat is left in the pan, about 5 minutes.
6. Continue frying the pork in its own fat with the oil for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until the cubes are deeply browned and crisp at the edges. This simmer-then-fry order is what makes it tender inside and crackling outside.
7. Add the garlic to the pan for the last 30 seconds and season with salt.
8. Pile the yuca into bowls, top with the crisp pork and a generous mound of drained curtido, and serve with the cilantro and lime wedges.

Allergen note: No common allergens in the listed ingredients; check packaged items.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.