Vegetables · Root vegetables
Jicama
Round root with tan skin and crisp, juicy, sweet white flesh, eaten raw in salads and with lime and chilli.
Also called: yam bean, yambean, mexican turnip, bangkuang, singkamas
Around the world: jícama (es) · sengkuang, bengkuang (ms) · singkamas (tl)
Photo: Midori, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
What it is
Jicama (yam bean) is a turnip-shaped root with thin, papery, light-brown skin and white flesh that is crunchy and juicy like a cross between an apple and water chestnut. It is mostly eaten raw. Only the root is edible; other parts of the plant are toxic.
Pachyrhizus erosus
How it’s used
- Sticks with lime, salt and chilli
- Shredded into salads and slaws
- Filling for spring rolls and popiah
- Indonesian rujak fruit salad
- Lightly stir-fried
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mild, sweet and nutty.
- Texture
- Very crisp and juicy.
- When cooked
- Stays crunchy even when lightly cooked and does not brown when cut.
- Sold as
- fresh
- Cooking uses
- Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked
- Common in
- Mexican, Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Singaporean
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Keep whole in a cool, dry place; refrigerate cut pieces wrapped.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Eat only the root; the skin, leaves, seeds and pods contain natural toxins.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 38 kcal
- Protein
- 0.72 g
- Carbohydrate
- 8.82 g
- Fat
- 0.09 g
- Fibre
- 4.9 g
- Sugars
- 1.8 g
USDA FoodData Central: Yambean (jicama), raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
Related ingredients
Recipes with jicama
Fruta picada con chile
Mexican · 15 min · 133 kcal · Vegan
Rojak buah
Malaysian · 25 min · 193 kcal
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