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Bollo de yuca
Bollo de yuca: grated cassava kneaded with salt, wrapped in corn husks and boiled until firm
Along the Caribbean coast from Cartagena to Santa Marta, the bollo de yuca is a staple to set beside fried fish, a bowl of soup or a slice of fresh white cheese. Raw cassava is grated, kneaded with a little salt and sometimes a few anise seeds, then wrapped and boiled until it turns translucent and pleasantly chewy, with a mild, slightly sweet flavour. Market sellers stack them by the dozen, and they keep well, so many households buy enough for several days. Cassava must always be fully cooked and peeled down past the pink inner layer, since the raw root contains natural toxins that cooking removes. Squeezing the grated cassava too hard is the error that ruins it: bone-dry dough gives tough, rubbery bollos, so you only want to press out the loose juice. Frozen grated cassava from Latin or African shops works well. Chef's tip: wet your hands before rolling the logs, because the starch sticks to dry palms.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cut 2 ⅝ lb fresh cassava (yuca) into chunks, removing the woody central cord. Grate on the finest side of a box grater or blitz in a food processor to a wet, fine pulp.
Step 2: Tip the pulp into a clean tea towel and twist gently over the sink, pressing out only the loose liquid. Stop while the pulp still feels moist and sticks together when squeezed.
Step 3: Put the pulp in a bowl, add 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp anise seeds and knead for 3 minutes, until it forms a smooth, even dough.
3 minStep 4: With wet hands, shape the dough into 6 logs about 12 cm long and 4 cm thick.
Step 5: Wrap each log in two 12 dried corn husks, fold the ends over and tie securely with 2 m kitchen string.
Step 6: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the bollos and boil steadily for 50–60 minutes, until they are firm and the dough looks glassy at the ends when you open one.
55 minStep 7: Drain and rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping. Serve warm, or chill and reheat on a hot griddle until the husks char a little.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bollo de yuca take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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