Cassava is a staple food in Ghana, so I grew up eating a lot of it. However, I never had it fried until more recently. Fried cassava is delicious. Clearly, I’ve been missing out. Anyways, I love making these savory cassava fritters. They smell and taste divine.
For those who are not familiar with cassava, it’s mild in flavour like potatoes, but starchier. Cassavas are very versatile. They can be fried, baked, boiled, etc.; cassava is used to make garri (i.e., grated, dried cassavas that look and taste similar to couscous) in Ghana and other West African countries. I will post a recipe for a dish featuring garri at some point. While cassava is delicious and versatile, it can be poisonous if consumed raw. So, make sure that these fritters are thoroughly cooked before you eat them.
How to Make Savory Cassava Fritters
To make these cassava fritters, you’ll need the following ingredients: 1 small cassava (242 g), 2 medium carrots (100 g), 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 large eggs, 5 stalks of green onions (chopped), 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1 teaspoon of ginger (minced), ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes (optional), 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Start by cutting and peeling the skin off the cassava. Cut open the cassava and use the knife to remove the woody core from the inside of the cassava; as in the picture shown above. Wash the cassava with running water over the sink and use a paper towel to pat it dry. Place a large cheesecloth over a plate and use a grater to grate the cassava onto the middle of the cheesecloth. Twist the cheesecloth into a ball with the grated cassava in the middle, and squeeze out any excess water from the cassava; do this over the sink.
Pour the grated cassava from the cheesecloth into a large mixing bowl. Peel, wash, and grate the carrots into the same mixing bowl as the cassava. Add all the other ingredients listed above, and use a spoon to mix everything together
Pour canola or vegetable oil into a heavy-bottom, deep frying pan (I like using my cast iron skillet for this) on the stove. Be sure to use enough oil to cover the fritters at least halfway. Turn the stove on to medium heat and heat the oil to about 350˚F; use a cooking thermometer to help you determine this.
Use a tablespoon to scoop a heaping amount of the mixture and carefully drop it in the oil. You can use another spoon to help you slide the mixture off the spoon. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the mixture. Make sure that the mixture isn’t too thick otherwise the center won’t fully cook. Repeat these steps to add more of the mixture to the frying pan, but don’t overcrowd the pan.
Fry the fritters until the edges turn golden brown (about 2 minutes). Flip the fritters with a spatula and fry the other side for another 2 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Use the spatula to remove the fritters once they’re cooked. Cover a plate with paper towels and place the fritters on the paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Repeat these steps to fry the rest of the mixture. The mixture will make about 6 to 8 fritters.
The fritters are best served warm. You can serve them with sour cream, garnished with some chopped green onions or chives. They also taste great with salsa or shito. The fritters don’t reheat very well, so plan to eat them on the same day. Enjoy! Let me know how it goes.
Other Recipes You Might Like
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BBQ-Flavoured Baked Plantain Chips
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Yele Kakro (Ghanaian Yam Balls)
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Tostones (Twice-Fried Plantain Chips)
Savory Cassava Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 small cassava (242 g)
- 2 medium carrots (100 g)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 large eggs
- 5 stalks green onions (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (minced)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp red chili flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut and peel the skin off the cassava. Cut open the cassava and use the knife to remove the woody core from the inside of the cassava. Wash the cassava with running water over the sink and use a paper towel to pat it dry.
- Place a large cheesecloth over a plate and use a grater to grate the cassava onto the middle of the cheesecloth. Twist the cheesecloth into a ball with the grated cassava in the middle. Take it over to the sink and squeeze out any excess water from the cassava.
- Pour the grated cassava from the cheesecloth into a large mixing bowl.
- Peel, wash, and grate the carrots into the same mixing bowl.
- Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and use a spoon to mix everything together
- Pour canola or vegetable oil (enough to cover the fritters at least halfway) into a heavy-bottom, deep frying pan on the stove. Turn the stove to medium heat and heat the oil to about 350˚F (use a cooking thermometer).
- Use a tablespoon to scoop a heaping amount of the mixture and carefully drop it into the oil. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the mixture; make sure it's not too thick otherwise the center won't fully cook.
- Repeat step 7 to make one or two more fritters; don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the fritters until the edges turn golden brown (about 2 minutes), then flip them with a spatula and fry the other side for another 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the fritters with the spatula once they’re cooked, and place them on a plate, covered with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat steps 7-10 until all the mixture has been fried; the mixture will make about 6 to 8 fritters.
Notes
- You can serve the fritters with sour cream, salsa or shito, garnished with some chopped green onions or chives.
- The fritters are best served warm.
- They don't reheat well, so plan to eat them on the same day.
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