Boiled Cassava (Tapioca) with Shredded Coconut

Growing up in the East Coast of Malaysia, I remember the seemingly endless, gentle rain during monsoon season. Most of the time the rain wasn’t too heavy, but it could go on for weeks. You could literally see damp patches form on the brick walls as they get saturated with rainwater. However, the monsoon season was not without its charms. There’s a stretch of road in an area of my hometown called Manir, where you’d see small stalls crop up during the rainy season, selling all sorts of root vegetables like cassava, taro, and sweet potatoes. We’d drive over to this area to grab what we liked – cassava being one of our top choices – and make all sorts of snacks and desserts with them. Very often, we made boiled cassava with shredded coconut.

This dish has only two main ingredients, so it’s really the quality of the ingredients that makes or breaks it. Where possible, I choose cassava which looks like it literally just got dug out of the ground. The cuts on the ends are still fresh and moist, nothing looking too dried out. If I ordered the cassava from the market, I would cook it as soon as it arrived at my doorstep. A good quality cassava will turn out tender, with a bit of a sticky bite in the middle. Extra bonus if the core has a clear, sticky, almost syrupy liquid in it… Absolutely heavenly. Be sure to peel the cassava properly; there are two layers of skin, and you need to remove both.

As for the shredded coconut, you want to go for only the white parts. In Malaysia, shops at the wet market sell two types of shredded coconut. We extract coconut milk from the regular type, and this will contain some brown bits from the shell. We usually choose the white type for serving with desserts, and this is what we want. You won’t have to make this choice if using frozen shredded coconut.

If you happen to get your hands on some good, fresh cassava, do give this simple recipe a try!

Step by Step

First, prepare the cassava. Thoroughly scrub the skin to remove any dirt, and drain.

Cut the cassava into chunks, and peel. Note that cassava skin has two layers; a thin, bark-like outer layer, and a thicker white inner layer. Be sure to remove both layers.

Add the cassava chunks to a large pot, and add the water and salt.

Place the pot over the stove. Bring to a boil and cook, until cassava is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork or knife, 30 minutes.

While the cassava is boiling, prepare the shredded coconut coating. In a deep bowl, add the coconut, sugar and salt. Toss to thoroughly combine.

Place the bowl in the steamer, and steam for 10 minutes.

When done, drain the cassava in a colander, and discard the boiling water.

Serve warm, either with the coconut on the side as a dip, or break the boiled cassava chunks into smaller pieces and toss in the shredded coconut.