Cassava
Cassava is a starchy root vegetable, rich in carbohydrates, with a good content of proteins and fibers and low on fats. Also known as Yuca or Manioc, this plant originates from Latin America. I tried Cassava Fries for the first time at a friend’s place a few years ago and I loved them! They are are great alternative to regular fries for when you feel you want something new or different. Taste-wise, they have slightly starchy and crunchy mouthfeel and the taste is soft, kind of like corn without the sweetness. They are a great snack and they are the perfect starter for a chill hamburger night with your friends!
In this post we will focus on the recipe, but if you want to learn more about Cassava check out our post dedicated to it!
Good to know!
Raw Cassava is toxic (all of it – the insides, the peel and even the leaves), as it naturally contains cyanide. What does this mean? Simple! Do not let your intrusive thought win on this one and avoid taking a nibble at it when it’s raw. Don’t worry though, it is safe to it once it’s cooked!
Ingredients
grams of cassava
sunflower oil or other oil suitable for frying
your preferred spices
Salt as needed
Dip (optional)
grams of yogurt
mustard (a mild one) to taste
clove of garlic
Salt as needed
Ingredients
pounds of cassava
sunflower oil or other oil suitable for frying
your preferred spices
Salt as needed
Dip (optional)
oz. of yogurt
mustard (a mild one) to taste
clove of garlic
Salt as needed
Spices!
For the spices, I enjoy these with paprika, salt and sometimes a hint of cayenne pepper, but feel free to replace these with anything that is to your liking. Simple salted fries are delicious too!
Substitute!
Feel free to replace the dip with anything else you would prefer with your fries!
Step 1: Preparing the Cassava root
First step to making Cassava Fries is to peel the Cassava root. The peel can be quite hard, so you want to use a strong peeler or a sharp knife for this.
The root’s core usually contains several hard fibers and they are not very pleasant to eat, so we should remove them! Once peeled, you can split the root in two or four parts (vertically) and remove the inner fibrous core. In this process, you can remove some parts of the inner core entirely or, where possible, pull out the strings with the help of a knife.
After this, you can chop what remains in large chunks. Around 4-6cm (2-2.5 inches) in length and 1-2cm (0.5-0.7 inches) thick should be fine, but larger chunks work too! They can easily be cut smaller later in the process.
Step 2: Boiling
Fill a pot with water and start heating it up. Once the water is boiling, you can put in the chunks of Cassava we got from the previous step. Boiling the cassava before frying is very important, as it helps to remove its toxicity, therefore making it safe to eat. You can let it boil until they become translucent and can easily be pierced with a fork. This can take up to 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your chunks.
Step 3: Seasoning
Take the pieces of cassava out of the pot and let them cool for a few minutes on a plate. If you previously left any bigger pieces, now is the time to finish chopping them so that all the fries will be more or less the same size (should be easy now!). You can then add your choice of spices to the plate and mix the fries. We’re now ready to fry!
Step 4: Cassava fries!
Put a layer of frying oil (2-4cm or 1-1.5 inches should be enough) in a pot or pan and start warming it up. I recommend adding a very tiny piece of cassava in the oil immediately, so you can later easily tell when the temperature is right. When it has reached the required temperature, you can add your first batch of fries to it. Fry until they become golden brown in color, which might take a few minutes, and then lay them on a plate lined up with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Once you’re done with all of them, add salt, pair them up with a dip of your choice and enjoy this delicious snack!
Optional step: Dip
This time, my dip of choice was an easy and delicate one. To make this dip, you can start by chopping the garlic in as fine pieces as you can. To bring the garlic’s flavor out, use the blade of your knife to squash the garlic pieces. Then add all the ingredients to a bowl, mix well and… it’s done! Just make sure to add the salt and mustard gradually so you don’t end up with a too strong flavor!
Learn More
Want to learn more about Cassava? Check out our dedicated post:
Cassava
Cassava is a starchy root, similar to potatoes in many ways but also very different in others. Also known as Yuca or Manioc, the plant is original of Latin America. Personally, the first time I tried Cassava I was already well over into my 20s. I have grown to like it quite a lot though,…
Leave a Reply