Mogo Chips Yuca Fries Or Cassava Fries Bomb Sauce

They’re similar to South American and Caribbean Yuca Fries, except there’s an optional sauce here to serve alongside. Mogo, also known as cassava or yuca is so tasty and simple to make.

These fries are…

Easy to make Gluten free Easily veganized Spicy and flavourful Deep fryer, oven or air fryer friendly

Let’s make the best cassava fries of your life

They make for a great change from the usual potato fries. In fact, think of it as a more flavoursome and robust potato chip. The outside is so crispy it’s almost flaky, and the inside is soft, with a starchy fluffiness. They go with practically everything, too.

What is mogo, cassava or yuca?

Cassava, also known as yuca, is a starchy root vegetable native to South America and is an important crop in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Cassava is treasured for its affordability and versatility. The starchy root can be boiled, mashed, stewed, roasted, barbecued and even pounded into flour for various cooking uses. The Kenyan dessert, Malindi Halwa is made from cassava flour. The starch produces a sticky, stretchy dessert that’s flavoured with almonds and rose water. Cassava can be used in many traditional dishes such as cassava fries, cassava cakes, and cassava bread. It can also be ground into a flour and used as a substitute for wheat flour in gluten-free baking. It must always be cooked and never eaten raw.

Why so many different names?

All of the above names are correct. Since cassava is a root popular around the world, the name changes depending on local language. I am British, with an Indian East African family background, so I call this vegetable ‘mogo’, which is a term derived from the Kiswahili word, ‘muhogo’. It is commonly eaten across South America, the Caribbean, East Asia, East Africa, in parts of south Asia and in many island nations across the world.

What does cassava taste like?

What I love about cassava is its earthy flavour, which truly comes to life when you steam or boil it. The aroma is so distinct, you’d know within a split second that someone is making bafelo mogo (boiled cassava in my native Gujarati language). It reminds me both of the beautiful Mombasa sunshine and of eating as a family.

What is bomb sauce?

The bomb sauce is a spicy lemon butter with tonnes of flavour. Perfect for dipping. My dad taught me how to make it and it’s so delicious. It’s the dip he and his siblings would enjoy them with when they were growing up in Kenya. ‘Bomu’ they called it in Kenya because it sounded close enough to ‘bomb’ when they were kids.

How to serve Mogo Chips (Yuca Fries or Cassava Fries) & Bomb Sauce

Serve these as an appetizer, side dish or snack. They need nothing more than what’s written in the recipe. Be sure to serve them hot!

How to cook mogo chips from frozen

Boil or steam the frozen mogo (cassava, yuca) prior to frying, roasting or barbecuing. It must be cooked thoroughly and luckily, it’s sturdy enough to withstand quite a bit of cooking. Use a pressure cooker to reduce cook time, but do keep an eye on it.

Frozen mogo will take around 20-30 minutes to cook with a boil method Frozen mogo chips will cook in the pressure cooker in around 15 minutes If you choose to steam frozen mogo, it will take approximately 35 minutes to cook through

How to test if mogo is cooked

Does a sharp knife slide in to the thickest part of the chip without resistance? If it does, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t, cook the mogo chips a little longer. Of course, you could always just taste one to check!

Where to buy mogo chips

Buy bags of frozen mogo from any supermarket with an world food section, or from speciality African, South American, Caribbean or Asian stores. Fresh cassava is available to buy in the produce section of such stores.

Popular mogo dishes

Chilli Mogo (Indo-Chinese style) Garlic mogo Grilled mogo with chilli powder, lemon juice and salt (Mombasa Lighthouse style) Mogo Bhajiya Mogo Crisps (salted or with chilli and lemon)

Ingredients for Mogo Chips (Yuca Fries or Cassava Fries) & Bomb Sauce

Mogo – also known as cassava, yuca or manioc. I buy it frozen. Butter – any salted butter will do Chilli powder – I use hot chilli powder but you can also use mild Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best Fresh coriander leaves – or dried oregano Oil – any oil suitable for deep frying Black pepper – freshly ground Salt

Step-by-step instructions for making Mogo Chips (Yuca Fries or Cassava Fries) & Bomb Sauce

1 – Boil or steam the mogo

Open the bag and put the mogo into a pot of salted water. Bring to the boil and cover. Cook for 25 minutes, or until very tender. Alternatively, you can steam the mogo chips.

2 – Allow the mogo to drain and dry

Drain in a colander. Around 15 minutes will do. Toss the mogo around to rough up the surface. This will give you crispy chips.

3 – Make the Bomb sauce

Mix butter, chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, coriander leaves and water. No need to cook this, just melt everything together.

4 – Fry the mogo chips

Deep fry the mogo chips until lightly golden. Do not over fry. Alternatively, air fry or pan fry. The colour and texture will not be as good as deep frying.

5 – Serve the mogo chips with Bomb sauce

Mogo Chips & Bomb Sauce recipe | How to make mogo chips | Indian East African mogo chips

Pin this Mogo Chips (Yuca Fries or Cassava Fries) & Bomb Sauce recipe for later

Make the Bomb sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge until required.If using fresh cassava, you’ll need to peel and chop it. Soak in cold water for 15 minutes before draining. Boil in a pot of fresh, cool water. It’s best to start any vegetables that grow underground in cool water, bringing it to a gradual boil. They cook better this way.You can also air fry or roast the boiled mogo. Coat generously in oil to prevent the mogo from drying out.