Cassava Kueh

What is Cassava?

Cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, is a perennial woody shrub with an edible root, which grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is also called yuca, tapioca, manioc, and mandioca. It is not recommended to eat cassava uncooked, because of potentially toxic concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides that are reduced to innocuous levels through cooking.


Cassava is the basis of many products, including food. In Africa and Latin America cassava is mostly used for human consumption, while in Asia and parts of Latin America it is also used commercially for the production of animal feed and starch-based products.

Cassava or Tapioca Kueh is a very popular SE Asian delight. Bought some fresh cassava from the wet market this morning so tried my hands on this delish. This kueh is one of my favourites but it is not easy to get the right texture and flavour.
I was not satisfied doing just the plain steamed version so I consulted Patricia Lee's recipe for this kueh.
The end result is not bad with soft aromatic bananas between layers of chewy textured cassava.



Ingredients: (20cm round pan)
1 kg finely grated cassava
150g coconut milk
50g skim milk
3 tbsp pandan juice
1 tbsp sago flour
220g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large bananas thinly sliced

Method:
1. Put finely grated cassava into a muslin bag, squeeze out juice under running tap.
2. Mix coconut milk, skim milk, pandan juice, sago flour, sugar and salt together in a big mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the cassava till well mixed. Divide mixture into 3 portions.
4. Line pan with banana leaf, pour in one portion of the cassava mixture, smooth the surface and top up with sliced bananas. Repeat with the second portion of cassava mixture and finally top up with the last portion of the cassava mixture.
5. Steam on high heat for 40 - 50 minutes.
6. Cut the cake into slices when cool and serve with freshly grated coconut.