Mandioca Frita
Brazil’s bar-snack chips: cassava boiled until tender, then fried into sticks that shatter outside and stay fluffy inside.
← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian
Ingredients
- 1 kg cassava (yuca), fresh or frozen
- 1 l vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 1 tsp fine salt, plus extra for the water
- 1 Lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Method
- If using fresh cassava, cut it into 8 cm lengths, slice off the thick brown skin and pink layer underneath, and cut each piece in half lengthways.
- Put the cassava in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 min, until a knife slides in easily but the pieces still hold their shape.
- Drain and leave to steam dry for 10 min. Pull out the woody cores, then cut into thick chips.
- Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 180°C (350°F), filling it no more than a third full. Fry the cassava in batches for 4–5 min, until golden and crisp.
- Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt straight away and serve hot with lime wedges.
Tips
- Cassava must always be fully cooked before eating, never raw.
- Boiled cassava can be chilled for up to 2 days before frying; cold pieces fry even crispier.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Mandioca Frita in Nouns Cooking