Boiled and sliced ground provisions work well as a side dish or the main starch to a curry or stew with lots of sauce/gravy. Once boiled, things like sweet potatoes, yams, and cassava open up in ways that allow for the quick and thorough absorption of any added sauce or flavour liquid.
In Barbados, boiled breadfruit, sweet potatoes and green bananas are frequently doused in a pickling liquid and served as salad or accompaniment to meat souse. I figured that the same application would work for cassava. I tested 2 applications – the first was to submerge the cassava in the pickling liquid and the second was to generously spoon the pickling liquid over the cassava a few minutes before serving. The first application made the cassava too wet and soggy, while the second was perfect! There was just the right amount of spicy, briny liquid to flavour the cassava.
Here’s how to make it.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds cassava
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced thinly
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
- 2 whole scallions/green onions, sliced thinly
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely minced parsley
- Finely minced hot pepper to taste
- Fresh lime or lemon juice to taste
- Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Peel and rinse cassava; add to a large pot, cover with tap water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender and the cassava starts to split. Drain well and set aside.
- While cassava is cooking, add the remaining ingredients to a bowl and toss to mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust to suit your taste. Let the mixture rest for 10 – 20 minutes at room temperature.
- When the cassava is cool enough to handle, pry open the pieces and remove the fibrous stems. Arrange the cassava on a rimmed platter or in individual serving bowls and spoon the cucumber and pickling liquid over the cassava. Serve immediately.
