When life gives you roots make a cassava curry with coconut milk. Serve that with rice and curry to impress anyone who is hungry for a tropical meal.
Have you got any cassava? Shall we grill it? Deep-fry or air-fry it? Boil it to tender maybe if not we can bake it. Cassava can be cooked and served in many ways to satisfy one’s cravings.
Is Cassava Curry one of them ?!
Cassava curry is an aromatic rich flavoured root dish.
With the help of the coconut milk base, the dish brings out a creamy smooth texture and a velvety flavour to impress just about any foodie. Try this simple recipe yourself…
This is Cassava. Some may even be familiar with other names like arrowroot, manioc, mandioca and maybe even by the name yuca or tapioca.
This plant-based starchy food is gluten-free, grain-free and even nut-free. Once the wax-covered brown layer is removed from the root, the chalky white flesh of the cassava insides can be cooked, baked, boiled, grilled and even deep-fried.
With this root, breakfast can be as easy and simple as boiling it. Serving the boiled root with coconut sambal or lunumiris is one of the best Sri Lankan ways of serving a comforting breakfast.
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How It’s Served
- Cassava curry is a side I tasted numerous times in Srilankan lump rice. This delicious creamy rich flavoured root is served with a few other sides over a lump of steamy rice, wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven for added flavours and aroma.
- A great way to serve cassava curry is over steamed bowl of rice. The combination is so light and taste so fluffy. Lunch can be served simple but with plenty of flavours in one bowl.
- This root curry and my mom’s spicy meat fry with freshly made chappati is another great combination to serve.
- My favourite of all is to have the side dish be served with rice and curry for an impressive meal idea.
Keep in mind that cassava root and the rice are both starchy food. Best to serve less of the rice, for every spoonful of the cassava curry added. In addition, a sour fish curry (ambulthiyal) or a spicy fish curry with a coconut sambal on the side would complete a satisfying meal.
Did You Know ?!
- Cassava contains a few healthy vitamins and minerals along with plenty of carbohydrates. This starchy root is great for plant-based dishes, vegetarian or for the gluten-free meals.
- Studies show that resistance starchy food such as cassava, can be beneficial for gut health, controlling glucose levels, limiting weight regains, and deliver even more health benefits.
- Cassava should never be eaten raw. Due to the natural compounds of cyanide it carries, the cassava roots can be extremely toxic if eaten raw and in a large amount or prepared incorrectly. This root should be eaten only when prepared and cooked through properly, as cooking them the right way will reduce the toxic level to prevent serious side effects, possible illnesses and even death.
- If consuming cassava, it is advised best to stay away from ginger or any ginger products to prevent serious side effects.
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How It’s Safely Prepared
- When purchasing cassava, look for one that is not bruised, broken or damaged. It should be firm to touch and not soft. Also, when storing keep out and away from the sunlights.
- In order to safely cook, cut the root into smaller peices. The outer skin of the root (the wax, the brown and the pink layer) must always be peeled and removed before soaking in water.
- When boiling, use a larger pot with water filled just above the diced layers of roots and cook with salt and turmeric powder thoroughly. Do not use a lid, let out the toxic steam build-ups. When done drain and discard the boiled water.
- If eating cassava, it is advised not to consume ginger or ginger products to avoid serious harms and side effects.
- Tempering (optional) – Once the dish is ready you may temper a little extra on top for added taste and presentation. It is optional.
Soon after the cassava is cut, peeled, soaked and boiled thoroughly, it is safer to consume as part of a meal. However, to turn them into a curry, I used seasonings to add a hint of spice and with coconut milk as the base, the flavour balances to a creamy flavour. Temper the last few ingredients over on top before serving for additional flavour and for presentation.
For more flavours like this one, take a look at our recipe collection. From one-pot meal ideas to authentic island cooking. Create any flavours and show off your cooking skill to impress your family.
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Cassava Root Curry With Coconut Milk | An Easy Recipe To Impress
When life gives you roots make a cassava curry with coconut milk. Serve that with rice and curry to impress anyone who is hungry.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil or any cooking oil
- few Curry leaves
- 2 Sun-dried red chili pepper
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp Garlic minced
- 1/2 medium-size Onions diced
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Roasted curry powder
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- 300g Cassava root cut, peel, soaked & boiled
- small peice Cinnamon stick
- 1 Green chili pepper
- Salt as needed
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
Instructions
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Prepare cassava roots first (Read How's It's Safely Prepared)
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On medium heat, use a pot to heat the oil first then add the mustard seeds. The seeds will start sizzling, add the curry leaves, sun-dried red chili pepper, and the garlic.
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Next, add the diced onions and sautee for about a minute.
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When the onions start to change colour, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, curry powder, a small piece of cinnamon stick and green chilli peppers. Give it a good mix.
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Next, add the pre-boiled cassava pieces as well as the coconut milk and salt to taste. Combine everything well with the seasonings then let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the root has absorbed some of the liquid.
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The coconut milk base will get thicker and the cassava pieces will get softer. It can be taken off the stove to be served.
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It is optional but tempering over on top of the cassava curry adds an extra aromatic flavour and a pleasent looking dish to serve.
Recipe Notes
Coconut milk – Freshly squeezed coconut milk taken straight from the coconut is the best milk, but not everyone able to or has the time to scrape off coconuts, in order to squeeze out the fresh milk.
So it is alright to use canned coconut milk (add water to bring in the right consistency if it is too thick). I use coconut milk powder and water mixture in my cookings. If difficult to find coconut milk then try the 2% or 3.25% milk instead.
Cassava – When purchasing cassava, look for one that is not bruised, broken or damaged. It should be firm to touch. Cut the root into smaller pieces, peel the outer skin of the root (the wax, the brown and the pink layer) and soak in water overnight or few hours before cooking to reduce the level of toxins.
When boiling, use a larger pot with water-filled just above the diced layers of roots and cook with salt and turmeric powder added. Do not use a lid when cooking, this will let out the toxic steam build-ups. When done drain and discard the boiled water.
Tempering at the end (optional) – Once the dish is cooked and ready you may temper a little extra on top for added taste and presentation. It is optional. To do so, saute the curry leaves, mustard seeds, sundried red chili pepper, and diced onions in olive oil. When the ingredients are lightly started to brown, remove from heat and pour on top of the prepared cassava curry before serving.
Don’t EVER cook/eat manioc with ginger!! They can become poisonous together! Please change this recipe.
Thanks!
Took me some time to modify the recipe as it is pretty old. As to your comment, it is true that ginger can be toxic with cassava roots, however, the quantity and how it is prepared can make a big difference in reducing the toxicity. To prevent future confusion, I’ve removed the ingredient and modified the recipe to create one without having to compromise the flavours. Thank you for your comment.