Muwogo (Steamed Yucca)

Commonly known as Muwogo and one of the major staple foods providing a basic diet for many Ugandans, yucca also called cassava-is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Yucca is a good source of manganese and vitamin C.

The starchy, gluten free and gut friendly flesh of the yucca root is a light white or cream color inside with a rough texture on the outside. From the looks of it, you wouldn’t know that that the hard, dry, overly crispy root has a mild, sweet, somewhat nutty taste and is soft-on-the-inside.

As a food ingredient, yucca is somewhat similar to the potato because of its starchy and bland in flavor when cooked and therefore it is these similarities which make them decent substitutes for each other. It can be prepared in similar ways to potato; it can be boiled, mashed, fried or even baked and therefore can be eaten as a snack, meal or confectionary. Our focus on this recipe will be steaming.

It is important to note that yucca is toxic when eaten raw so ensure that you only eat when it’s fully cooked. Yucca has a high starch content which makes it rather dry, so including a sauce helps.

To enjoy this flavorful quick meal, yucca is best served warm with a cup of tea or a bowl of soup like Molokoni.