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Basic Use and Preparation
Appears in
By Diane Morgan
Published 2012
Jicama, with a texture similar to an Asian pear, can be served both raw and cooked. Serve raw as crudités, tossed into salads, diced for salsa, or matchstick cut for slaw. It can be blanched briefly to remove some of its floury taste and then tossed into stir-fries much as you would water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. You can also treat it as you would potatoes or sweet potatoes: it can be boiled, steamed, creamed, braised, or diced or chunked for soup.
To prepare jicama, use a paring knife to trim the top and then remove the thin skin. It comes off easily, almost in long strips, exposing the creamy white flesh. The flesh will not discolor, so it can be prepped ahead of time. To brighten the taste of jicama, give it yet more crunch, and remove some of its water, toss cut jicama with a teaspoon or two of salt and place it in a colander in the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Blot dry with paper towels. It is now ready to use for either raw or cooked preparations.