Yaroa, a flavorful, incredible dish that hails from Santiago, has become the newest classic in Dominican food and is a newcomer to the street food scene in the Dominican Republic. Here's my favorite take on a dish that checks every box in the "best street foods" checklist.
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- Last reviewed . Published Jul 9, 2020Why we ❤️ it
This is the quintessential Dominican street food: cheap, greasy, tasty, and simple. It's the kind of thing that hits the spot after a night in town for young late noche revelers. A spot that was, until it was created, reserved for chimi and sandwich de pierna (Dominican burger, and pork sandwich)
So let me tell you why you need to run to make this: it's very easy to make, it's ridiculously tasty, and you can feed an army with little effort. Don't skip the ripe plantain in the meat topping. You can thank me later.
What's yaroa?
Yaroa is a Dominican dish that consists of a layer of boiled and mashed ripe plantains -- or French fries -- topped with shredded or minced meat, lots of cheese, and drizzled with mayo and ketchup [3].
There are two type of yaroas: yaroa de plátano maduro (yellow plantains, sweet plantains, or ripe plantain yaroa) and yaroa de papa frita (French fries yaroa).
This dish reminds me of loaded French fries [1] or Canadian poutine [2]. They have the same concept, the same devil-may-care deliciousness to them (yes, I've tried poutine).
Dominican Yaroa.
Serving suggestions
Yaroa and una fría (frosty-cold beer) go hand in hand, but you can also serve it with Dominican juices, or batidos.
Top tips
- Air fryer yaroa: For a lighter, healthier alternative, I've also given instructions to make them baked or with an air fryer.
- Sweet plantain yaroa: To make yaroa with a ripe plantain base, boil three ripe plantains in salted water and mash them (skip step 2).
- Mayo and ketchup: As an optional step, before you drizzle the yaroa with it, add a tablespoon of cold water to the ketchup and stir to make it a little runnier. Do the same with the mayo. Why add water to the condiments? Because I found that runnier ketchup and mayo work better here. Instead of tasting a mouthful of mayo when biting into it, the mayo and ketchup just kind of merge and... OK. It's hard to explain. Just try it. If you don't like it, go back to normal mayo and ketchup.
- Chicken yaroa: If you want to make a chicken yaroa (not a traditional offer BTW), you can layer your platter with shredded supermarket rotisserie chicken instead of minced beef. I suggest you double the amount of ketchup and mayo, as rotisserie chicken is dryer than minced beef.
- Yaroa casserole: If you don't want to make single-serving plates, you can layer the ingredients as indicated in the recipe in a lasagna baking pan and make it into a casserole-type dish. Broil it instead of microwaving to melt the cheese.
- Potato type: Rousset potatoes are best for this dish, but whatever you have will work. You can buy and use pre-cut potatoes, too.
- Alternatives: I have also made this dish with cepa de apio (arracacha) and sweet potato (batata) in the air fryer.
About this recipe
Yaroa purists beware (I don't even know if such people exist, but I'm about to find out). This recipe, while close to the original, has some smaller changes that I loved.
Instead of potato (fried or air fried) you can also use boiled mashed plantain, as this is the equally popular, version of yaroa. In that case, do not add ripe plantains to the minced meat. Remember, you can adapt it to your preference.
Since I already wrote a recipe for a minced meat filling that has ripe plantain in it, I thought to combine both ways of making yaroa so I wouldn't miss anything.
Video
Recipe
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Yaroa 2 Ways [Recipe + Video] Dominican Yaroa Loaded Fries
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, [20g]
- 1 red onion, (medium-size, minced [65 g]
- 3 cloves garlic, [20g]
- 1 pound minced beef, [454g]
- 1 cup tomato sauce, [115g]
- 1 bell pepper, (diced [76g]
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste), divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper , (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 1 sprig cilantro, (chopped)
- ½ cup diced fritos maduros, see recipe (optional)
French fries
- 24 oz potato, peeled and cut into sticks [680 g]
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tablespoon salt
Air fryer potato
- 24 oz potato, peeled and cut into sticks [680 g] see notes
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper , (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Toppings
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
Instructions
1. Make the filling: see video in this post.
- Heat the oil in a pot or large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook and stir until it turns translucent. Add garlic and cook stirring for a minute.Add minced meat and cook and stir, breaking into small clumps until it browns. Pour in the tomato sauce, add bell pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir and cover. Simmer for 3 minutes. Uncover and mix in the fried plantains.Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Deep fry potatoes
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, so you have enough height to cover the potato.Place the potato sticks on a tray and pat dry with a paper towel to reduce hot oil splatter. Lower a handful of potato sticks into the oil with a slotted spoon, and fry until they turn golden brown. Place them on a paper towel and repeat with the rest.Once fried, sprinkle the fries with salt.
2. Or cook potatoes in air fryer
- Drizzle the potato with the olive oil, and add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir with a spatula or toss to coat them all in the oil and seasoning. Set aside while you pre-heat the oven or air fryer. Heat the oven to 350 ºF [175 ºC], or the air fryer to the temperature suggested by the manufacturer and cook in the preheated oven or air fryer until they turn golden brown and are cooked through.
3. To assemble it
- Layer the fries onto 4 microwave-safe plates. Top with a middle layer of steaming-hot meat. Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar. The hot meat should melt the cheese, but if it doesn't, heat the plates in the microwave for 90 seconds, or until the cheese melts.You can also broil it instead of microwaving it, per instructions above the recipe.Drizzle with mayo and ketchup, and serve right away.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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Yaroa origin
Sometimes we're lucky to be alive to witness the birth of history (culinary history specifically) and the rising of new Dominican food. Yaroa was created (see the history) and made popular in Santiago by food truck vendors and carritos.
As is the case with chimi, there is some dispute as to who first created this dish. With Yaroa there is more than one vendor claiming the credit for themselves.
One thing we know for sure: It first appeared in the late 1990s in Santiago, Dominican Republic, quickly becoming popular in carritos around and near El Monumento [4][5].
Its popularity has now spread beyond its birthplace, even debuting as part of the menu of a well known Dominican fast-food chain which made it available everywhere from Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo. But – for the most part – it remains a Santiago delicacy.
FAQs
Since there is no word for word translation for yaroa to English, the most adecuate English translation for yaroa is Dominican loaded fries.
Yaroa originated in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Traditionally, Yaroa is made with a bottom layer of French fries (Yaroa de papa) or mashed sweet plantains (Yaroa de plátano), a middle layer of minced beef in tomato sauce and a top layer of melted cheddar. It is then drizzled with mayo and ketchup.
Reference
- Queenslee Appetit - Loaded French Fries
- Wikipedia - Poutine
- El Fogoncito - Historia de la Yaroa
- Listín Diario - Yaroa, Receta Urbana.
- Periódico Hoy - Yaroa: una novedosa delicia culinaria de la cocina cibaeña