Name: Cecina con yuca
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 600 g cooked smoked pork cecina, commercially made, inspected, fully cooked and sliced; 850 g edible sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, cut into 5 cm lengths, never bitter cassava; 1800 ml water, for boiling yuca; 25 ml vegetable oil; 35 ml lime juice; 12 g ají charapita, finely chopped; 6 g fresh coriander, chopped

Cecina con yuca — Smoked pork cecina with boiled cassava

Yield 4 generous servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 45 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 65 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Cecina con yuca — Smoked pork cecina with boiled cassava

Cecina con yuca brings together two staples of Peruvian Amazonian cooking: salted, smoked pork and cooked cassava. In Ucayali, smoked cecina is also served with plantain-based tacacho, but cassava provides a different, softer starchy accompaniment. The components should be distinct on the plate rather than folded into a mixed stew.

The quality of purchased cecina matters. Select commercially produced, inspected pork cecina and check that it is fully cooked and ready to heat; preservation and smoke alone should never be assumed to have made raw pork safe. A gentle pan-fry warms the slices and adds crisp edges without burning the seasoned surface.

Use edible sweet cassava that has been peeled and cooked thoroughly. The root turns tender and slightly floury, and any tough central fibre should be removed before serving. A small lime-and-ají accompaniment lifts the pork without masking its smoked flavour.

Ingredients

600 g cooked smoked pork cecina, commercially made, inspected, fully cooked and sliced
850 g edible sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, cut into 5 cm lengths, never bitter cassava
1800 ml water, for boiling yuca
25 ml vegetable oil
35 ml lime juice
12 g ají charapita, finely chopped
6 g fresh coriander, chopped

Method

Prepare the yuca.Check the cassava is an edible sweet variety, peel away its thick skin and cut it into similar lengths. Put it in a pot with 1800 ml fresh water. The root is clean, evenly cut and fully covered by water. For food safety, do not use raw or unidentified bitter cassava.
Boil until fully tender.Bring yuca to a steady boil and simmer until a knife goes through its centre easily. Drain and pull away the tough central core from each piece. The interior is soft and floury with no hard woody fibre. For food safety, cook cassava thoroughly before eating.
Prepare the lime relish.Combine lime juice, finely chopped ají charapita and coriander in a small bowl. Keep aside for serving without letting it touch raw-meat surfaces. The chilli is coated in lime and the coriander stays fresh.
Brown the smoked cecina.Heat 25 ml oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Warm the fully cooked cecina slices in two batches, turning them until the edges crisp slightly and the centres reach 74 °C. The surface has some browned crisp edges and a thermometer confirms 74 °C. For food safety, use cooked cecina only and reheat thoroughly; smoking does not prove raw pork safe.
Serve the two components.Place hot yuca pieces next to cecina on four plates and spoon over a little lime-chilli relish, keeping the smoked pork visible. Each portion includes warm tender cassava and hot slices of cecina.

Practical

Success points

Cook identified sweet cassava completely and reheat the inspected cooked cecina to 74 °C. Buy fully cooked cecina from a reputable supplier and cook only edible sweet cassava until completely soft.

Serving, storage and substitutions

Serve cecina immediately after warming so its edges remain crisp, with soft yuca and the lime-chilli accompaniment served sparingly. Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate at 4 °C or below for 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C. The smoked-meat sodium amount depends strongly on brand. If a cecina package is raw or specifies additional cooking, do not use this quick reheat method; follow a validated product-specific process instead.

Control points

Yuca stays hardthe root needs more boiling — check the centre with a knife before draining.
Cecina turns leatheryexcessive heat dried an already cooked product — use medium heat and stop when safely reheated.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories605 kcal
Carbohydrates79 g
Protein38 g
Fat14 g
Fibre5 g
Sodium1250 mg

Allergens and food safety

Commercial smoked cecina may contain manufacturer-declared allergens or additives; read the product label. Smoked/cured meat may be salty and is not inherently safe without verified processing; use fully cooked inspected cecina. Cassava must be peeled and fully boiled; raw or bitter varieties are unsafe.

Closing

Warm smoked pork with lightly crisp edges beside fully tender cassava. Start with inspected fully cooked cecina and never treat smoking alone as a kill step.

Cecina con yuca — Smoked pork cecina with boiled cassava

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Success points

Serving, storage and substitutions

Control points

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Allergens and food safety

Closing

Peruvian National Dishes

Tortilla de raya

Tiradito nikkei with ají amarillo, soy and ginger

Lima-style ceviche with camote and choclo