Fermented Cassava ( Cake )

Cassava is a staple in asian country , mostly Southeast Asia , they’re full of carb , just like rice was also staple in asia . Cassava is also called yucca , here in United States , you will find cassava sold with name as Yucca Root . Back where i came from , we did a lot of things with cassava , we steamed them , boiled them , deep fried , etc .

One of the most popular snack that we get from cassava is fermented cassava . Don’t worry .. don’t think just because it’s being fermented it’s going to taste nasty . Look Kimchi , it’s fermented cabbage and they’re delicious too . But this is nowhere close to kimchi .. LOL .. This is better than kimchi 😀 Fermented Cassava is not hard to make , it takes time for it to ferment , but that’s about it ..  no special thing to do with it , except waiting .

First though , you want to make sure that you have the special yeast that they sell in mostly asian market , the regular grocery store in US don’t carry this particular yeast that we need to make fermented cassava . This is the yeast, it’s called rice yeast , or sweet yeast .

Then you need to get the cassava from the store , here in Texas , i can find Cassava easily , to make the process faster and easier for you , you can always get frozen cassava from grocery store , i used the fresh cassava . The only down thing about fresh cassava is that you need to peel the waxy skin that it has , they’re hard and somehow slippey too . Those skin are very tough !! I got about 1 lb of cassava , then once you peel them , wash and then boil in water or steam ( steaming is a better method ) , maybe about 15 or so minutes , or until you can easily poke a knife through it , then it’s done , just don’t overcook it . One thing you must remember about cassava : Cook cassava properly and do not undercook it , because it can be toxin to your body ! So make sure you cook it right , and done !! Once  it’s done , you should let it sit to cool off totally  , because you will have to rub the yeast all over the cassava .

For the yeast , you will need 1 tablet of the yeast and pound them so that they will become powdery , then sprinkle / rub all over the cassava that’s been cooled . It’s best if you have banana leaves to wrap the cassava before placing them in the container . Cover and wrap with banana leaves , but if you don’t have them , it’ll work too . I’ve done this before without banana leaves , and i stored them in a container in the oven with light on , it took about 4-5 days to ferment . But the 2nd time i am making it , i wrapped it with banana leaves and stored it in container in the garage , the warmest and most humid area in our house . It took 2-3 days to ferment .

By 3-5 days, your cassava should be done , and when you poke a fork through it , it should be soft , and taste sweet . The yeast helps to turn the carb , into glucose , that’s why it is sweet .

I let mine sit for 4 days and it turns out really soft and sweet already .

edited : i made it the 2nd time with banana leaves and left the container in the garage and it took 2-3 days to ferment . By second day the cassava already smells so good !! But i waited til 3 days to open it .

 

edited : April , 28th , 2013 , these are the cassava , already done fermenting for 3 days .

Now that  you have fermented cassava , you can chill it in the fridge , it tastes a lot better when it’s been chilled . It is okay to consume them just like that too , but i prefer mine to be chilled .

And if you’ve made plenty , you can always use them to make a cake from it too . Yes , it will become cake tape , or fermented cassava cake . This is delicious too . My mom used to make this a lot when i was younger , although she didn’t make the fermented cassava herself since it’s widely available over there , i always remember how yummy the cake was , it was always one of my favourite . By now it’s been over 13 years since i ate them . I used to help my mom to bake this , though back then , i was only a helper , not someone who’s willing to learn to cook or bake . But anyway .. again .. mom would have smiling looking down at me .. watching me making fermented cassava and turned it into a cake . This one is for you mom …

 

You need :

About 300 grams of tape ( fermented cassava )

50 ml. of sweetened condensed milk

Place these 2 ingredients in a food processor , and pulse few times . Set aside .

4 large eggs

2 egg yolks

180 grams of sugar

In a large bowl , beat the eggs and then add the sugar a little at a time . Beat them together until becomes thick , the egg mixture will change color to very pale yellow instead of bright yellow or orange . About 5 minutes , high speed with your mixer . Once it’s done , add 1 tsp. of vanilla extract , and the cassava and milk mixture that you put aside earlier . Mix slowly with your mixer until it’s combined well .

1 stick and 3 tbsp. unsalted butter , melted .

Add the melted butter into the mixture , mix well .Last but not least

175 grams of all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

Add the flour , baking powder and salt into the cassava , egg mixture , and beat until it’s combined .Bake at 350 F for about 50 minutes to an hour . Check if it’s done with a toothpick inserted , it should be clean when the cake is done baking .This cake can be served right away or you can wait til the next day , it should taste better after sitting for a day . Just like zucchini bread or banana bread .