Yaroa, an incredibly flavorful 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 the two versions of a dish that checks every box in the "best street foods" checklist.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jul 9, 2020
Why 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.
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].
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 de papa (loaded fries) and ripe plantain.
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
- Yaroa in an air fryer: For a lighter and healthier alternative, I have also provided instructions for making them in the oven or with an air fryer.
- Chicken yaroa: If you want to make chicken yaroa (not a traditional offering, by the way), you can use this chicken filling. I suggest doubling the amount of ketchup, as chicken is drier than ground beef.
- Pastelón de yaroa: If you don't want to make single-serving dishes, you can put everything on a baking sheet and divide it when serving.
- Type of potato: Rousset potatoes are best for this dish, but any kind will work. You can also buy pre-cut potatoes.
- Alternatives: I've also made this dish with cepa de apio and sweet potatoes in the air fryer.
- Air fryer: This recipe gives you the option of making a lighter, healthier yaroa dish by air frying the potatoes, or you can make it with traditional French fries.
- Mayonnaise and ketchup: As an optional step, before drizzling the yaroa with it, add a tablespoon of cold water to the ketchup and stir to make it more liquid. Do the same with the mayonnaise.
Why add water to the mayonnaise and ketchup? Because I found that ketchup and mayonnaise work better this way in this dish. Instead of tasting a bite of mayonnaise when you bite into it, the mayonnaise and ketchup blend together and... It's hard to explain, just try it. If you don't like it, go back to regular mayonnaise and ketchup.
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 ripe plantain, as this is the equally popular, version of yaroa.
Video
Recipe
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Yaroa [Video+Recipe] 2 Versions
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)
Ripe plantain yaroa
- 3 ripe plantains
- 1 teaspoon salt
French fries yaroa
- 24 oz potato, peeled and cut into sticks [680 g]
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tablespoon salt
Air fryer potato yaroa
- 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
- 2 cup shredded Cheddar, or cheddar and Mozzarella mix
- 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.Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Ripe plantain yaroa - cooking plantains
Peel the plantains and boil them in a pot, adding 1½ teaspoon of salt to enough water to cover the plantains plus 1 inch [2.5 cm]. When the plantains are cooked through (about 15 minutes), remove from heat.Remove the plantains from the water and mash them until they become a very smooth purée.
2. Potato yaroa - cooking potato 2 ways
⚠️ Deep fried potatoes: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, so that it is deep enough to cover the potatoes. Place the potato sticks on a tray and pat them dry with a paper towel to reduce splattering from the hot oil. Lower a handful of potato sticks into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry them until golden brown.Place them on a paper towel and repeat with the rest. Once fried, sprinkle the potato chips with salt to taste.⚠️ Cook on 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 cheese. The hot meat should melt the cheese, but if it doesn't, heat them in the microwave for 90 seconds, or until the cheese melts. You can also broil it instead of microwaving it.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.
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
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