How do I not get my jicima from being slimey?

Question

I may have chosen one that wasn't mature or not a jicima at all, although the pictures match when I looked the root up. The root has a creamy color but has is slime on it. Should I boil it first? Washing doesn't seem to help either.

Answer 1

Color sounds right, it should be crisp like celery root, jicima is normally utilized in it's raw form. I don't know why you have a slime on it but you could rinse it with cold water and lemon juice

Answer 2

Here in California we use a lot of jicama. I have never seen slime on a fresh one. Actually unless you have a very good knife they can very hard to prepare. Also I've never seen jicama cooked at all (maybe it is somewhere) it is a salad vegetable used in dips, etc. It's tough skin is difficult to remove but the firm crispy vegatable inside is crunchy & mild....boil it???? It doesn't sound like you got a jicama at all. And as a root vegie it takes a long time for them to spoil, like potatoes. I just looked in my produce book & I see there are many roots & tubers that could be mistaken for jicama but I don't know much more than that! Sorry & good luck!!

Answer 3

Soak it in water. Thtas how you should store it after its been cut anyway. The slime is the plants natural defense, like when you cut a potato or apple and it turns brown. Like when you scab.

Answer 4

I think that this person meant that the "cut" surface becomes slimy after I has been exposed by being cut or peeled.

Answer 5

Jicama should not be slimy, it should be like raw potato. Crunchy and crisp.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jicama