Cassava Fritas!

Today I start with my first posting.. Cassava Frita's! I am very excited as it was my first venture into making something with this vegetable! :) 

First let me tell you a little bit about cassava. Cassava, or also known as yucca, is a a woody shrub that produces a starchy tuber root. It is most common in South America and Africa and supplies a main source of carbohydrates for these area's of the world. The leaves are a the main nutritional aspect but the root plays a main role in the diets within these societies. I became familiar with this little guy awhile back and then soon after had a meal at a dear friend's house where it was used in an African soup type dish. It was quite scrumptious!  There are many other things they do with this root such as grind it up into flour, keep it whole in flakes to use later, or process to use for tapioca. This last one is my favorite! I absolutely LOVE tapioca and never knew growing up I was eating something that had such an interesting background to it!

So there you have it.. a little background info.. who knew this was going to be so educational ;-) Hope you enjoy the recipe.. and the experience! Best of luck..

Cassava Frita's

Ingredients:

• 7-8 pieces cassava
• pinch of ground annatto seeds  (I did not have these so I opt'd out)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 green onions, course chopped
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 tsp cominos (cumin)
• pinch of salt
• 1 qrt of water (enough to cover cassava in pot)
• Opt: May add Azafran or Saffron in the boiling process as well. See notes below.

Step 1:

Soak cassava in water at least one day. This will remove the starch and if you have the bitter cassava vs the sweet one it will remove the toxins. The bitter cassava contains the toxin cyanide if not prepared properly. I decided better safe than sorry, right?! I soaked mine at least 3 days.. but more because I didn't get around to making these frita's ;-)

Step 2:

Place all the above ingredients (except cassava) into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Then place cassava into pan. Lower the heat and simmer for appx 45 mins or until the cassava is tender. You can easily place a fork into it. Drain cassava's in a colander. Cool.

*Note: For a pleasing yellow color add Azafran to step two. Using saffron will change the flavor and color. :)

Step 3:

Slice cassava into finger bite pieces. Remove and discard the woody pulp centers as you do this. Heat oil in a pan and place pieces of cassava into pan. Turn to brown both sides. Remove when light golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Serve immediately!

 

I found frozen cassava at the Latino grocery. They said they'd have fresh mid week but I've read it's difficult to peel and doesn't last long for storage. The packages ranged in price from $5-$8 dependent on brand.

 

Frozen Cassava

(I forgot to take a picture of the soaking and boiling steps- oops!)

 

On the left, cassava waiting to be fried in oil.

On the right, cassava frita's just from the pan.. golden brown! Yum yum!!

  

These are Cassava Frita's made with Saffron,

salted and touched with butter. Note the difference

in color from the ones above. Umm.. and the sinful taste!

I think it took me as long to write this first post as it did to cook the frita's! And after talking of tapioca I'm craving it big time. I just might have to make some tomorrow!

Stay tuned for my next post.. Samosa's! I made these little gems over the holidays and now I don't seem to like the store bought ones. I've ruined my convenience taste buds and can only eat the homemade ones from now on I guess lol.. Til next time!

Special thanks to: Nikas Culinaria for the base recipe.