Jicama:
So what is Jicama(pronounced as hee-cama)? It is an edible root grown in the warm climates of Central America, the Caribbean, the Andes Mountain regions, and Southern Asia, where it’s an essential as well as an extremely versatile food source. It is popularly known as Mexican Yam Bean or Mexican Turnip. I need to talk about Jicama’s health benefits before the recipe, and without that, the post will be incomplete. Jicama has a unique mix of vitamins and other nutrients and of course the fiber. Jicama is a rich source of a soluble fiber called oligofructose inulin, which is a sweet, inert carbohydrate that does not metabolize into simple sugars. And that means it is ideal for diabetic patients. :-) You can read more the health benefits here and here.
Even though I have read a lot about this veggie, every time I see the Jicama, in the produce aisle, I contemplate if should buy it or not and eventually come without buying. Recently we subscribed to a weekly veggie box which gets delivered to our home and in the last week box, we received a large Jicama. :-) Finally, I got a chance to get cooking with this fiber-rich tuber. There is no big reason behind my hesitation in buying this veggie. It’s quite big, and I was a bit worried what if we don’t like and what if I had to trash Last week when I tried it for the first time, I was fantastic and was banging my head for not trying this sooner. It just tasted very similar to water chestnut but mildly sweet, and yes it can be eaten raw. This crunchy jicama is a great addition to your salads, soup, stir-fries and what not? But how come I tried fries first? I came across the chips recipe here when I was reading about Jicama, and that’s when I thought of the fries recipe. Also, with barbecue season coming up, thought of posting fries before chips.
Baked Jicama Fries Recipe:
All you have to do is chop the jicama length-wise or as you prefer. And bake them in the preheated oven at 400 deg F for 30 minutes or until they are crunchy. Easy right? Now without any further ado, here is the recipe with step-wise pictures. Ingredients:
Chopped Jicama (length-wise) – 3 cups Olive Oil – 1 tbsp Salt – 1 tsp Paprika – ½ tsp
Prep – Work:
Peel and Chop about 3 cups of Jicama lengthwise. I used about ⅓ portion of a large Jicama. Line the baking tray with foil or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
Steps:
Spread the chopped jicama in the baking tray.
Drizzle olive oil, salt, and paprika and mix well. You can mix all these in a separate bowl and then spread the veggie in the baking tray too.
Bake them for about 15 minutes and toss the veggies once and bake again for 15 more minutes or until they are crunchy.
That’s it. Yummy Jicama fries are ready. Serve with BBQ sauce or ketchup.
Notes:
I went with a simple spice mix and added only salt and paprika. But you can include cumin powder or any other favorite spice mix. The spice mix that I used for popcorn ole will be a great combo too. Adjust the salt and spice as per your preference. You can chop the jicama into thin slices and use the same spice mix and bake the same like chips too.
📖 Recipe
