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1
Make the curtido first
15 Mins + 30 Mins Rest
No heat — room temperature, then chilled
Put the shredded cabbage, grated carrot and sliced onion in a bowl. Stir the white vinegar, 120 ml hot water, 4 g salt and the oregano together, pour over the vegetables and toss well. Cover and leave for at least 30 minutes so the cabbage softens slightly and turns tangy — or make it the day before and keep it in the fridge.
A sliced jalapeno can go in with the cabbage if you like heat. The curtido improves overnight, so this is the one part worth making a day ahead.
Done when: Cabbage slightly wilted, brine sharp and tangy.
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2
Simmer the pork until tender
50 Mins
Simmer over medium-low heat, about 95°C (200°F)
Put the pork chunks in a pot with the 2 crushed garlic cloves, 3 g salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim off any foam, cover and cook for about 50 minutes until the meat yields easily to a fork. Lift the pork out and pat it dry; keep the fat that has rendered in the pot for frying.
Do not let the pot boil hard — a gentle simmer keeps the pork tender instead of tough, and the meat must be cooked through before it is fried.
Done when: Meat yields easily to a fork; internal temperature at least 63°C (145°F).
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3
Boil the yuca until tender
25 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
While the pork simmers, put the yuca pieces in a large pot, cover with water, add 5 g salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until a fork slides into the thickest piece easily and the flesh looks fluffy and pale. Drain well and keep warm.
Never taste raw or undercooked cassava — it must be cooked right through. If a piece still resists the fork, give it 5 more minutes; undercooked yuca stays hard and bitter.
Done when: Fork slides in easily, pieces hold their shape but feel soft and fluffy.
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4
Fry the chicharron crisp
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F); pork must reach 63°C (145°F) plus 3 minutes rest
Heat the rendered pork fat in a skillet over medium-high heat — add a spoonful of oil only if there is not enough fat to coat the pan. Fry the pork pieces in a single layer for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until deep golden and crisp on all sides with crackling edges. Drain on paper towels and rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Dry pork browns, wet pork steams — pat the pieces really dry before they hit the fat, and do not crowd the pan or the crackling goes soft.
Done when: Deep golden all over, edges crisp and crackling, hot through.
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5
Mix the tomato salsa
10 Mins
No heat — room temperature
While the pork fries, combine the diced tomatoes, diced onion, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, the juice of one lime wedge and 1 g salt in a bowl. Toss and leave for 5 minutes so the juices run and the flavours come together.
Make the salsa last so the tomatoes stay fresh and juicy — if it sits too long it turns watery.
Done when: Tomatoes glistening with juice, onion softened slightly.
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6
Plate the yuca con chicharron
5 Mins
Hot, straight from the pan
Arrange the warm yuca pieces on plates or a banana leaf. Pile the crispy chicharron on top, spoon curtido alongside, and ladle the tomato salsa over everything. Serve at once with lime wedges for squeezing.
Eat it the street-food way: a piece of yuca, a bit of curtido and a piece of chicharron in every bite, with salsa over the top.
Done when: Served steaming hot, pork still crisp.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the plate while the pork is still crackling and the yuca is hot — the contrast of soft cassava, crisp pork and sharp, cold curtido is the whole point of the dish.
El Salvador
1h 15m
Italy
Thailand