A Staple Dominican Street Food — Yaroa

Crispy fries topped with a heaping layer of juicy ground meat covered in ooey gooey cheese then smothered in delicious mayo and ketchup doesn’t sound like your typical traditional dish. 

Yaroa is a new Dominican classic that originated in Santiago and has since become a staple street food, especially at the end of a late night. 

The dish began being served in the 1990s and quickly made its’ way to the menu of a popular Dominican food chain. Now, it can be found on the menus of restaurants throughout New York City. 

Yaroa is such an appealing dish because of how simple it is to prepare, making it a hit for fast food vendors. 

Although many serve the dish with crispy fries it can also be replaced with mangu or maduros. The ground meat is traditionally beef, but there is the option to serve it with pork or chicken. 

The fries can be made fresh or simply prepared from the frozen aisle of your local grocery store, so it makes for an extremely easy recipe for any day of the week. 

If you’d like to learn the simplest way to make this recipe, follow the steps below! 

Recipe

1. In a pan over medium heat, add the oil.
2. Once the oil is ready, add the bell peppers and onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Add the beef and break apart with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Cook until brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
6. Drain the excess oil from the beef. Add it back to the pan and add the the tomato sauce and seasonings.
7. Mix thoroughly and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
8. Prepare the fries according to package instructions. Once golden and crispy, get a plate and get ready to layer!
9. Add the fries and a heaping pile of the ground beef mixture.
10. Next add the cheese and finally, top with mayo and ketchup.
11. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp adobo
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 4oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• Fries
• Mayo
• Ketchup
• Salt and pepper, to taste