Yautia - or malanga as it's called in some countries - is a popular tuber in the Caribbean. Inexpensive and versatile, it can be used in many dishes, like this creamy Puré de yautía, or malanga mash. Check out our recipe and learn more about our beloved root vegetable.
By - Last reviewed . Published Oct 24, 2021
Why we ❤️ it
Puré de yautía, o yautía majada (malanga mash) is not as commonly found on our table as mangú (mashed plantains), boiled yuca, or auyama mash, but it is one of our traditional breakfast dishes.
What's yautía?
Yautia is a culinary family of high-starch, carbohydrate-rich root vegetables that are not all members of the same botanical family, among them yautia blanca (Xanthosoma sagittifolium, dasheen, malanga blanca), yautia amarilla (Xanthosoma atrovirens, malanga amarilla), and yautia morada (Xanthosoma violaceum, malanga morada).
Yautia coco (Colocasia esculenta, malanga coco, taro, or cocoyam) is a different species.
They thrive in our region as they do in all tropical climates and are also very popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico.
You can read more about the different types of yautias, the names for yautias in English, and see photos in our article about Dominican and Caribbean root vegetables.
Taste and appearance
Yautias are elongated roots with reddish-brown thin skin and potato-like flesh. The yautias in the Colocasia family differ in the color of the flesh: white yautia root has white flesh, yellow yautia has yellow flesh, and purple yautia has light purple flesh.
Once cooked, mashed yautias have a flavor and consistency vaguely similar to Southern mash potato, and with only a slight difference from each other. Cocoyam has a different texture and appearance, with purple specks and a more granular flesh when cooked.
Yautia and malanga mash.
Serving suggestions
Yautía, if done correctly, produces a creamy, mild-flavored mash that goes great with our cebollas salteadas served with queso frito for breakfast. It can also be served with chuletas fritas, longaniza, pollo guisado (Dominican chicken), and cerdo guisado (braised pork).
Top tips
- How to peel yautía: You can peel yautía with a potato peeler or paring knife; the thin brown peel is easily removed. Wash it after peeling.
- Vegan version: To make a vegan white malanga mash, you can use olive oil instead of butter.
About this recipe
For this recipe, I have used yautía blanca (malanga blanca), as it's the most common one here, but you can use yellow yautía or purple yautía. Cocoyam (yautía coco) has a different texture and consistency, so the recipe will not work exactly the same.
This recipe yields four servings of about ¾ cup of puree. Double the recipe for a larger serving.
Video
Recipe
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Puré de Yautía [Video+Recipe] Malanga Mash
Ingredients
- 1½ pound yautía, (malanga) [0.7 kg]
- 1 tablespoon salt, (plus more for seasoning at the end)
- ½ stick salted butter, (salted) [113 grams]
- ¾ cup milk , (whole or skim)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Dominican sauteed red onions, (optional)
Instructions
1. Peel
Peel the yautía with a potato peeler or paring knife, removing the thin brown skin.Chop the yautía and rinse.
2. Boil
- Place the rinsed yautía in a pot, and add sufficient water to cover it plus a couple of inches [5 cm]. Add ¾ tablespoon of the salt to the water.Boil until they are fork-soft. Once boiled remove from the water and discard the water.
3. Mash
- Mash until the mixture is very smooth and there aren't any lumps (a potato ricer or food mill [Amazon affiliate links] is perfect for it).
3. Mix
- Incorportate butter, and then mix in the milk. Incorporate the garlic powder. Taste and season with salt to taste if you find it necessary.
4. Serve
![Puré de yautía [malanga mash].](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20750%20500'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cover with the sauteed onion, and serve.
![Puré de yautía [malanga mash].](https://www.dominicancooking.com/wp-content/uploads/mashed-yautia-recipe-ClaraGon3691.jpg)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More yautía recipes
Yautias are usually boiled and served as mash, or boiled in pieces as a side dish. They are also added to soups and stews (like sancocho), or - less commonly - as fried chips. Yautia can also be added to pasteles en hoja.
The cocoyam has edible leaves, though not commonly consumed in our country.
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