Eat a Jicama

OK, you bought a jicama at the store and don't know what to do with it. This popular root vegetable can be eaten many different ways, and it's delicious, tasting something like a cross between an apple and a potato. Give it a try!

Steps

Preparing Jicama to Eat

1. Find jicama. You may or may not find jicama at your local grocery store or farmer’s market -- it depends upon your location. General grocery stores are more likely to carry jicama in areas with sizable Hispanic or South Asian populations.
   • If your local grocery store doesn't carry jicama, your best bet is specialty produce shops or Mexican, Asian, and Latin American grocery stores.
   • You are most likely to find jicama in the spring and summer, as they are often imported from Central American countries at that time. Avoid tubers that are soft, shriveled, or have dark spots.
2. Peel the jicama’s skin. You need to peel the skin of the jicama before you eat it. It might be hard to peel with a regular vegetable peeler. Do not eat the peel.
   • Instead, try using a chef’s knife. First, cut a thin slice from both the top and the bottom to create a flat top and flat bottom on each end. Before you peel the jicama, though, wash it in cool running water and then dry it off like you would a potato.
   • Set the jicama down on its broadest cut end. Work from top to bottom, and slide your knife beneath the jicama’s skin. Peel it while following the jicama’s natural lines.
3. Cut the jicama. After you peel the jicama, place it down on its widest cut end, and make even, vertical cuts in it. Then cut these pieces into sticks. Dice the sticks by cutting across them. Dicing means you cut the jicama into small cubes.
   • You can also shave the jicama on a mandolin slicer. First, cut the vegetable in half or in quarters, then use the mandolin to slice off thin shavings.

Storing Jicama

1. Even though jicama is white on the inside, you don’t need to worry about it discoloring when exposed to air the way an apple would. Thus, you don’t need to store it in anything special if you plan it eat it the same day.
   • However, if you have, say, half of the root left, you should store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or resealable plastic container. It should be fine to eat even several days later.
   • It might be a bit dry on its cut end, so you might have to cut that part away before you prepare it to eat.
   • Before it's cut, you can store jicama for two to four weeks if you keep it in a cool, dry, dark place. Don’t store it in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, as this will cause changes in color and texture.

Eating the Jicama

1. Eat the jicama raw. You can eat jicama without cooking it. In fact, it tastes very good this way. You can eat it like a carrot stick, putting it in dip or just eating it plain.
   • People also use jicama to make salsa, by mixing diced jicama with corn or diced tomato, black beans, red onion, minced jalapeno, lime juice, and cilantro.
   • Turn the jicama into slaw by adding thin strips of it to shredded red cabbage and shredded carrots.
   • Put jicama in spring rolls or stir fry it. Cooking it briefly will add a crunchy texture to your stir fry. You could cook it with broccoli, garlic, ginger, scallions, cashews or toasted sesame seeds.
2. Saute the jicama. You can also saute the jicama with other vegetables, like broccoli, zucchini, onions, and sweet peppers. Jicama works well with other vegetables because it resembles the crunchy texture of water chestnuts.
   • First, brown the jicama in a little bit of olive oil. Add a small sliced onion and ½ of a red pepper cut into strips. Cook until tender.
   • You can also roast jicama by cutting it into cubes and putting it in a baking pan. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, sprinkle the jicama with olive oil, rosemary, parsley, and ½ teaspoon minced garlic, and roast it for an hour.
3. Eat jicama chips. Jicama chips make a healthy snack. To make them, you should peel 1 pound of the jicama.
   • Slice the jicama with a mandolin slicer to about 2 mm. Brush olive oil on both sides of the jicama slices, and add salt and pepper. Put the slices on parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure they are in single layers.
   • Bake them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 100 minutes. You will want to make sure they are crisp, and you should turn them every 20 minutes.
   • You can also make raw jicama chips. Simply peel the jicama and thinly slice it. Squeeze one half of a lime onto the chips, and sprinkle them with salt, sugar, and chili powder. Chill for 20 minutes before serving.
4. Make creative dishes with jicama. One way to eat jicama is to put it in fruit salad. This is common in Mexico, where street vendors will combine it with fruit.
   • Mix diced jicama with chunks of mango, pineapple, watermelon, and cucumbers, and add lime juice and chili powder.
   • Add jicama to canapes for a cocktail party. Or use it instead of papayas in a shrimp salad. In a large bowl, mix jicama, sprouts, herbs and scallions. Whisk chili-garlic paste, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, as well as salt and pepper. Mix together. Add shrimp and peanuts.
   • Consider adding jicama to salads, or use it to replace the cucumber in sushi rolls. It works best in quick-cooking recipes where it retains its crispness.

Learning the Benefits of Jicama

1. Get the facts on jicama. Jicama is a vegetable, not a fruit. This round, fleshy vegetable can grow to be quite large, and its skin has a bark-like texture.
   • The jicama’s taste has been described as similar to an apple. Sometimes called a Mexican turnip, jicama is a starchy, slightly sweet root vegetable popular in Mexico. It has the texture of a firm pear or raw potato.
   • Jícama is a species in the genus Pachyrhizus in the bean family. Plants in this genus are referred to as yam bean, although that term can be another name for the jicama root itself. It grows in Central America, South Asia, and the Caribbean.
2. Know the health benefits of jicama. There are many reasons to eat jicama. For one, it has very few calories, only 35 per 100g. Jicama also is good for lowering cholesterol and has very low sodium.
   • It is a great source of dietary fiber. It is considered a good snack for people with diabetics or people who are on diets. However, you should also know that jicama contains an organic toxin called rotenone that has been lined to Parkinson’s disease in some studies. The toxin is mostly found in the leaf tops, stems, and seed pods, so don't eat those. The peeled roots are considered safe for human consumption.
   • Jicama is rich in vitamin C. Jicama also contains important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese.

Tips

• Be sure to wash the jicama thoroughly once peeled.
• Store leftovers in plastic wrap or a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• To eat jicama Mexican style, you can add some chili powder, lime, and salt.

Warnings

• Don't eat the skin.
• Always be careful with knives.
• Lime juice in the eye stings a whole bunch. Be careful.

Things You'll Need

• jicama
• knife
• cutting board
• limes
• salt
• chili powder
• an appetite for new things

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