This tuber is known as a starchy tuber, but in 100g there is only 2% starch. The remaining 80 – 90% of the composition is water.
Cassava has long been an indispensable part of Vietnamese meals, especially in difficult times. In the past, when food was not abundant, rice mixed with cassava was often a familiar dish at family meals. That’s why cassava stuffed with rice or cassava cake is a childhood dish for many people.
On winter days, eating a hot bowl of cassava sweet soup or holding a piece of cassava steamed with coconut milk is both warm and delicious, making everyone feel the special flavor of this rustic tuber.
Eating cassava provides a lot of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, fat, sugar, sodium, thiamine, phosphorus, calcium, and riboflavin.
In addition, this tuber also contains micronutrients iron and vitamin C that are good for human health.
Phu Tho’s specialty cassava cake is loved by many people.
Vitamin A is abundant in cassava. For people with poor eyesight, supplementing vitamin A through cassava is a very good choice for health.
Not only that, this tuber also contains saponins that can reduce inflammation, have the ability to decompose other organic waste such as uric acid, and balance intestinal flora.
In particular, cassava is known as a starchy tuber, but in 100g of cassava, only 2% is starch. The remaining 80-90% of cassava’s composition is water.
Because of this, cassava is a staple of many diets around the world. Cassava can even reduce appetite and reduce fat storage in cells, so it is known as a “miracle food for weight loss”.
Many people use this root as a staple food to lose weight, and may need additional protein to avoid malnutrition.
A familiar hometown gift
Previously, cassava roots were only used for boiling. Boiling delicious cassava is also a feat. Initially, the outer layer must be removed. Just make diagonal cuts along the cassava stem, then use a sharp knife to gradually separate and peel off the entire layer easily. If boiling, just put it in water, add a few grains of salt to thicken and let the cassava cook until soft.
Before putting it down, pour out all the water in the pot, turn on the stove very low, boil until it dries out and the cassava pieces are scorched. People often dip boiled cassava with sesame salt. Of course, it’s okay if you don’t have sesame salt.
Now, boiling cassava is more complicated, people have to boil (or steam) with coconut milk, and even add grated fresh coconut. Every October-November, sometimes when I go out in the evening I see a steamed cassava stall on the street.
The smoke from the pot of cassava was rising, the smell of coconut milk was fragrant. At that time, I had to park my car and buy a box anyway.
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Variations from cassava
In Hanoi, there are many types of cassava processing, cassava sticky rice is an example. Of course, cassava sticky rice must have cassava, then sticky rice, green onions, lard… For rice, use yellow flower sticky rice or upland sticky rice, preferably soaked in water for about 4-5 hours, then pour into the rice cooker.
Peel the cassava, soak it for a few hours, then cut it into pieces a little bigger than your knuckle, sprinkle a little salt, and put it in the pot with the sticky rice. When the rice becomes sticky rice, the cassava is also cooked. There are two types of cassava: friable cassava and soft cassava. When cooking sticky rice, people often choose white, friable cassava.
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When the cassava sticky rice is cooked, scoop it into a bowl. Before that, you need to add the onion fat mixture. Let the fat get hot, add chopped onions and turn off the stove. The spring onions are poured into a pan of hot fat just enough to be cooked and sprinkled over a bowl of sticky rice and cassava.
Fatty, sticky rice grains, soft and fleshy cassava, cassava sticky rice is truly a dish not to be missed every time Hanoi comes to winter. Nowadays, cassava sticky rice has many variations, people can eat it with minced lean meat and stir well with fish sauce and pepper.
Then, in addition to fat and green onions, there are also dried onions fried until golden brown, and sometimes the cassava sticky rice also comes with a large piece of fat patty.
People are addicted to cassava sticky rice, everyone knows about the sticky rice shop sold on the sidewalk of Ngo Si Lien street. From the moment it opened until the moment we moved in, there were always customers waiting for their turn.
 Cassava tea |
Besides sticky rice, there is also sticky rice in Hanoi cassava tea. It is also a pinnacle dish of winter street cuisine.
The recipe is quite simple, including cassava, tapioca starch, brown sugar (or molasses, or palm sugar) and indispensable crushed and chopped ginger to enhance the flavor of the dish.
The cassava is peeled, soaked in cold water or diluted salt water for a few hours, then washed, filtered to remove the cassava tendons inside and cut into pieces like chess pieces. Boil the cassava and pour out the water the first time.
 Boiled cassava |
Add the cooking water a second time, simmer until the cassava is soft, when it boils, remember to remove the foam. When the cassava is soft, add sugar.
Wait for the sugar to dissolve, then add chopped ginger, stir gently, and simmer until the sugar is absorbed and does not stick to the pot. When the cassava is very soft, mix a little tapioca starch with cold water and slowly pour it into the cassava pot.
Tapioca starch will make the cassava soup thick. You can also add tapioca starch or cornstarch. When enjoying, scoop into a bowl and eat hot. The fleshy taste of cassava, the warm aroma of ginger and the sweetness of sugar make winter warmer.
Nowadays, many people like to add a little coconut milk and grated coconut to cassava sweet soup. In general, it’s okay to eat like that.
In addition, cassava is also made spicy cake. This cake includes shredded cassava, squeezed dry, mixed with flour, green onions and chopped fresh chili. This mixture is mixed well, then made into small balls, put into a pan of boiling oil and fried until golden brown.
When the cake is cooked, take it out and dip it with chili sauce or sweet and sour fish sauce with kohlrabi, papaya soaked in vinegar, herbs, raw vegetables… In each different region, people also have different ways of preparing dishes from cassava. different.
Maybe Cassava silkworm cake (cassava is what the Southerners call it), grilled cassava cake, cassava sweet soup or banana sweet soup with cassava, cassava floss – a relatively strange dish to Northerners.
Do grilled cassava cake in an oil-free fryer as follows with 1 kg of cassava, 100gr of green beans soaked for 2 hours, optional sugar according to personal sweetness level (50-100gr), 1 bowl of grated coconut, white sesame, 2 tablespoons of coconut milk.
Add cassava and green beans and steam until cooked. While the cassava is still hot, crush it and crush the green beans, then add the green beans + sugar + grated coconut + coconut milk and knead evenly. Put a little white sesame on the lid of the box, add the kneaded cassava mixture and form a round cake according to the lid of the box.
Then knock down and take out the cake, put it in the baking tray of the air fryer. Bake at the highest heat for 10-15 minutes, bake in an oil-free fryer at 220 degrees for 10 minutes. If you like a crispier crust, increase the time by 20-25 minutes.
