Mandioca frita — fried cassava — is the Brazilian bar snack built on the country's foundational Indigenous root crop, boiled then fried golden and salty. It is standard fare in botecos and churrascarias from north to south.
The shell shatters with a loud crunch into a steamy, fluffy interior far softer and starchier than any potato fry. Salt clings to the craggy surface while the inside stays mild and buttery. Dangerously moreish.
Pre-boiling gelatinises the cassava starch and softens the dense root, so frying then flash-dries the surface into a rigid crisp crust while the gelatinised interior stays fluffy.
Variations
with garlic butter, with parmesan, served with linguica, dusted with chilli
On the Palate
Where Mandioca Frita sits in the Brazilian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 15 min
Peel the cassava and cut it into thick finger-length batons.
- 215 min
Boil the batons in salted water until just fork-tender but not falling apart.
Watch outBoil only until a fork slides in but the batons still hold their shape — mushy cassava falls apart in the oil instead of crisping.
- 35 min
Drain and let the cassava steam-dry and cool slightly.
Watch outLet them steam-dry until the surface looks matte and dry — surface water makes the oil spit and steams the crust soft.
- 43 min
Remove the woody central fibre from each piece if present.
- 55 min
Heat oil in a deep pan to about 180C.
Watch outTest with one baton — the oil should bubble steadily around it right away; too cool and it soaks up grease instead of crisping.
- 68 min
Fry the batons in batches until deep golden and crisp.
Watch outFry to deep golden with a rigid, crackly shell — that hard crust over a fluffy inside is the whole point.
- 72 min
Drain on paper towels and season immediately with salt.
- 81 min
Serve hot with a garlic or lime dipping sauce.
