Cassava Recipes That Harvest Resilience, Versality and Flavor

In recent years, cassava has gained traction among American consumers for its versatility and gluten-free attributes. However, with its origins in South Africa and spread to Central America, Africa, the Caribbean and other parts of the world, cassava and cassava recipes have always been a part of everyday life.

“It was a gathering day that the whole entire family and we peel the cassava and then we had a machine, and they shred the cassava and take the water out from the cassava, then the next day we come to make the cassava flour,” recalls Washington-based private chef Sandra Rocha Evanoff.

Evanoff was born in Brazil and has memories of cassava as early as five years old.  Through her business, Brazil Comes to You, she hosts classes where Brazilian cuisine, including cassava recipes, is introduced to Seattle locals.

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How to Cook Cassava

As a cassava expert, we couldn’t think of a better person to learn about the starch as well as how to cook cassava. Evanoff shares that while growing up, cassava was considered a “poor ingredient, ” although it is a staple sustenance for families, especially in northern Brazil.

“Cassava is an essential crop in Brazilian agriculture, playing a vital role in food security and the rural economy,” she writes in a paper about the carbohydrate. “Cassava is a food for survivors, and we called  [it] resilience food because the vegetable root grows fast and can survive in this semi-arid or arid fields.”

Evanoff notes the first step for how to cook cassava is to peel it.  In a video she shared on Instagram, she walks viewers through the process that, for many, may require practice. Cassava should not be consumed raw because it contains cyanide and needs to be properly processed and cooked.

After peeling, it then depends on which cassava recipes you want to prepare or process next it will go through. Growing up and even to this day, Evanoff says boiling cassava with a bit of salt and then dressing it with butter (just like you would a potato) is the most common way it is consumed back at home in Brazil.

Cassava Recipes Champion Health and Versatility

Cassava flour has become a baking staple in many home and professional kitchens. Back in Brazil, it was again used in place of wheat flour that many did not have access to.

Because cassava is grain and gluten-free, it is a dream ingredient for those needing to omit gluten from their diets. Cassava is also a good source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.

Uses for cassava flour include making cookies, cakes and other baking goods. It is great as a thickening agent for soups and sauces and great for making thin flatbreads known as beiju or tapioca. Another way to think of them is to think of crepes as they are thin enough to be the base for a host of flavorful fillings and toppings or accompany a meal like bread.

Evanoff is taking the gospel of cassava to farmers’ markets to introduce shoppers to cassava as well as tapioca. “I don’t make that much money at all, but I enjoy teaching people about cassava.”

If you want to learn more and incorporate cassava recipes into your cooking, follow Evanoff on Instagram or sign up on her website for cooking classes if you are in the Seattle area.

Meanwhile, enjoy her recipe below for Shrimp Bobo.

Shrimp Bobo is a dish that expresses the multicultural influence of Brazilian cuisine and various cultures that formed the Brazilian people: Brazilian indigenous, Portuguese and African. All Brazilians love shrimp bobo, and in my opinion, it is the third traditional dish in Brazil, after feijoada and moqueca.

INGREDIENTS

2 bay leaves
2 pounds peeled cassava cut into cubes of 10 cm
2 cups unsalted can coconut milk, divided
2 pounds shrimp raw shrimp, peeled
juice from1 lime
1 pinch salt, ground black pepper and cumin to a taste
3 tablespoon palm oil (you can find it online), divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow peppers, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ cup green onion, chopped
½ tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon coriander
1 pinch red crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to a taste
6 large shrimp with skin for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a big pot, boil the cassava with water and a little salt and bay leaves until very soft. Let it cool a little and puree it in a blender, with a cup of coconut milk and reserve.
2. Combine the shrimp with half lime juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of palm oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, the red and yellow chopped peppers, cilantro and green onion. Sauté for 3 minutes after adding 1 cup of coconut milk and the black pepper, turmeric, and coriander. When it starts to boil, turn off the heat.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of palm oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add one clove of garlic, add shrimp for two minutes and reserve.
5. We will start incorporating the cassava with sauce and shrimp evenly until all cassava cream and shrimp are mixed. At this point, you can add the red crushed pepper if you want spice.
6. Let simmer, garnish with shrimp and more crushed red pepper and serve over rice.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine