| |
What the heck is ... jicama?
 For
those who still haven't met the jicama (HIH-kuh-ma), it is a humble, homely
vegetable that looks all the world like a big tan turnip. Blander than
water, for some reason it is never described for itself but always compared
to something else. Jicama doesn't even get much credit for its own wonderfully
crisp, ever so slightly sweet taste. Use it like water chestnuts, some
say, or grate it as a passable substitute for Daikon. The almost non-existent
taste is also often described as a cross between an apple and a potato.
And yet, nothing is quite like the jicama, a member of the morning glory
family that hails from Mexico and South America. A cousin of the sweet
potato, this underground tuber comes in two types: agua (watery juice)
and leche (milky juice). Jicama is mostly a street food in its native
habitat, sold raw in Mexico with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of fiery
chili powder. It shows up at Tapino quite frequently as a garnish or a
subtle crunchy-crisp counterpoint to some other savory ingredient.
Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus), also know by several other names: yam bean,
Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, Chinese potato,
Mexican turnip, or as we like to call it here at Tapino, in its native
language, “xicamatl”, has been eaten in Central America for
many centuries . Spanish traders spread it throughout the Spanish Empire,
including Asia in the 17th century. Jicama flourished in the Philippians
and China, and the root vegetable has been very popular in Asian cooking
for over 300 years. It is also a common commodity in U.S. stores. The
jicama plant’s super-crisp, slightly sweet, below-ground structure
is called a “tuberous root” or sometimes a “tuber”,
and crunches like a crispy water-chestnut.
The jicama plant is a vine which grows to a length of 20 feet or more.
The tuberous root is light brown in color, and may weigh up to 50 pounds.
Most of those on the market will weigh between three to five pounds. The
crop is cultivated in frost-free climates, grown in rows from seeds, and
after several years, the vine is harvested for its large taproot. Its
crispy white flesh is hidden under a dust-brown skin and an underlying
layer of tough fibrous flesh which should be completely pealed off before
cooking or other preparation. The rest of the plant, a legume with trifoliate
leaves and pea-like seed pods, is entirely poisonous and must be thrown
away. In particular, the rotenone-containing seeds have traditionally
been used by South American tribesmen to catch fish by poisoning. Jicama
is a perennial vine and needs a lot of heat and a long growing season
(150 days). Tubers develop after flowering the first year, and grow larger
each year thereafter.
Jicama is available year-round and can be found in the produce section
of most supermarkets. Jicamas are suitable for consumption at any growth
stage (size). When purchasing jicama, select tubers that are firm and
have dry roots. Make sure that the jicama has an unblemished skin and that it is not bruised.
Once purchased, store jicama for up to two weeks in a plastic bag in your
refrigerator. Too much moisture will cause mold. Good quality jicama roots
are smooth and firm, with uniform shape and size, and should be free from
mechanical damage to the skin. They have a crisp, succulent, white sweet-starchy
flesh. There are no U.S.D.A. Grades for jicama, so it is up to you to
be picky when selecting from the pile of Jicamas at your local grocer.
To prepare jicama, remove the peel including the fibrous layer directly
under the skin. Cut or slice and serve raw or use as a substitute for
water chestnuts.  Saute
or stir fry -- it stays crisp when cooked. A one pound jicama yields about
three cups chopped or shredded flesh. If you do not use all of the jicama,
cut it into slices or cubes and place them in a sealed container and cover
with water, or else place it in a bag.
Like potatoes, jicamas can be steamed, baked, boiled, mashed or fried.
However, probably 90% of all jicama is eaten raw. Sliced into sticks,
jicama makes a crunchy carrier for guacamole and highly seasoned dips.
Cut up into small cubes, it enhances fresh fruit salad, absorbing the
surrounding flavors. It is equally versatile as a cooked vegetable --
sautéed with carrots or green beans, stir-fried with chicken or
shrimp, or simmered in savory stews. When jicama is used in cooking it
tends to take on the flavors of the ingredients that it is being combined
with and retains its crispy-crunch, even when cooked. Low in starch and
calories, jicama is satisfying, flavorful and nowhere near as strange
as it looks.
Jicama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed
of 86-90% water; it contains only trace amounts of protein and fats. Its
sweet flavor comes from the oligofructose inulin (also called fructo-oligosaccharide),
which the human body does not metabolize; this makes the root an ideal
sweet snack for diabetics and dieters. Nutritionally, jicama is a super
star. A 3-1/2 oz. (90g.) serving contains only 15 calories, zero fat or
Cholesterol, and only 5g of carbohydrate – of which 4g are dietary
fiber. An Adkins dieter’s dream! That same 3-1/2 oz. of jicama also
contains 20% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. Not bad for the humble
root of a poisonous vine in the jungles of Central America!
|
|
