Jicama – How to choose and prepare
I had jicama for the first time when I was in 6th grade—as part of my teacher’s goal to expose us to new things. I enjoyed it but don’t remember having it much after that until finding THM. It’s now something that I try to always have in my fridge—cut into ‘sticks’ ready to snack on when I need to add a veggie to a meal or snack.
How to Choose a good Jicama
I have had bad luck with those that are covered in wax—for me they can go bad within a few days – and so I don’t get those anymore. I like to find ones that are even in color – firm to the touch – not a lot of ‘holes or indentations’ (that’s mostly cause I’m lazy and I don’t like to have to cut those parts out). I prefer ones that are ‘medium’ in size – about 4-6 inches across – bigger than that and I think they have less flavor – smaller than that and there seems to be a slight change in the texture.
How to prepare Jicama
I wash it – either with just water and scrubbing – or a soak in a veggie wash. Sometimes there will be some of the skin that is ‘flaky’ and I just remove that.
I cut it in half and then use a paring knife to peel off the outer skin—and a bit of the flesh—as close to the skin it’s quite fibrous. If there are any discolorations that I find with the skin gone, I cut t
hose off.
I like to have mine in sticks – so I cut each half in slices and then turn those on their slide and slice again which leaves me with lots of ‘sticks’. I put these into a bag with a couple of paper towels folded up – they stay good for about a week—though rarely last that long in my fridge.
Right now there are quite a few recipes/ideas going around for using jicama instead of potatoes – I’ve not tried the ‘fries’ yet – but I know that most say that jicama doesn’t get soft like potatoes do—instead they stay crunchy. I am planning to shred some and try that in a cheesy potato and will post my results here when I do.