Cassava Porridge (recipe)

As long-time readers of Trinigourmet would know, I am something of a porridge junkie. My own particular affinity is for cornmeal porridge, however that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a wide array of others that are familiar to the Caribbean home. In recent months I have had requests for green banana porridge (coming soon!) and in the last week I had my first experience with Cassava Porridge!

Cassava is a root vegetable that I have long advocated. Like most tubers it is extremely versatile. It can be enjoyed fried, boiled, or pureed and (like sweet potatoes) its natural sugars make it well suited to both savoury and dessert applications. In flour form it can be turned into an enjoyable bread as well as act as a naturally gluten-free thickener. I will write more on this vegetable (also known as yuca, tapioca and manioc) in an upcoming post so I will stop here in my praises 🙂

So, back to the porridge! The other day found me with a half-pack of frozen cassava and a desire to try something new with it. A quick Google search swiftly took me to Simply Trini Cooking’s recipe for Cassava Porridge, something I had until then not known about! Trinidad and Tobago are both small islands however my time on this site has made me realize that we are still large enough to accommodate a wide range of regional specialties and differences. Our culinary heritage is much richer than even we are aware!

Inspired by Simply Trini’s writeup, I decided to combine his components with my own approach and came up with the below. I hope you will enjoy it! The thickness and flavour is rather similar to Cream of Wheat but much smoother. As a result it enjoyed just as easily in a large mug, as it is in a bowl 🙂 Perfect rainy day fodder, and for those of you in winter climes I am sure it will be quite comforting! 🙂

Cassava Porridge
SOURCE: TriniGourmet.com

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cubed cassava
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tin condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

METHOD:

1. Blend cassava with 2 cups of the water.
2. Boil the other two cups of water with the salt.
3. Slowly pour in the cassava liquid and lower heat.
4. Simmer until creamy (whisk rapidly until the texture thickens and the liquid appears glossy. Don’t be surprised if translucent ‘bits’ appear to settle at the bottom, they are tasteless and can easily be reintegrated through extra whisking or putting the mixture in a blender before continuing to the next step)

5. Stir in vanilla extract.
6. Add condensed milk slowly, to sweeten to taste
7. Stir in nutmeg and cinnamon.

This recipe is an exclusive TriniGourmet original. Please do not share it or post it to your site without crediting TriniGourmet.com. A link back to our site is not necessary but always appreciated 🙂