Pirão de farinha de mandioca

Name: Pirão de farinha de mandioca
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sao Tomé-et-Principe
Ingredients: 200 g food-grade cassava flour suitable for cooked preparations; 700 ml water initially, plus 100–200 ml hot water as needed; ¼ teaspoon salt, optional

🥣 A thick cooked cassava-flour accompaniment for fish in sauce or stew. Adjust water gradually to the flour used.

Ingredients

200 g food-grade cassava flour suitable for cooked preparations
700 ml water initially, plus 100–200 ml hot water as needed
¼ teaspoon salt, optional

Preparation

Check that the flour is food-grade and intended for cooking. Prepare a heavy saucepan, whisk and sturdy spoon; keep hot water nearby.

Heat 700 ml water with optional salt until it just simmers.

Lower the heat and gradually sprinkle in flour while whisking continuously. Do not dump it all in at once.

Once thick, switch to the spoon and cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes, or longer if the package requires, stirring and scraping the bottom. Follow the product’s directions.

Add small amounts of hot water if it becomes too stiff before fully cooked. Stir firmly until smooth, thick and supple.

Taste only after full cooking and adjust salt. Divide into four small bowls or spoon alongside a sauce immediately.