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Couac
Toasted cassava meal
Couac: French Guiana's toasted cassava meal
In French Guiana couac is on the table at almost every meal, sprinkled over fish in sauce, stirred into stews or soaked in water with sugar as a snack, and it is still made in the carbets (open-sided sheds) of Amerindian and Maroon villages along the Maroni river. Traditionally it is made from bitter cassava, which is poisonous until its juice has been pressed out and the meal roasted for hours. This home version uses only sweet cassava (yuca), and still presses out and discards all the juice and toasts the meal until fully dry, because cassava must never be eaten raw. The usual mistake is a heat that is too high: the outside scorches while the inside is still damp. Chef's tip: stir almost constantly over a medium-low heat; the couac is done when it rattles in the pan, smells nutty and a grain snaps cleanly between your teeth.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 4 ⅜ lb sweet cassava (yuca)only sweet cassava, never bitter cassava
- ½ tsp salt (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Peel 4 ⅜ lb sweet cassava (yuca) thickly, removing the brown skin and pink layer, cut out the woody core and rinse well.
Step 2: Grate finely, or blend in batches with a little water to a coarse pulp.
Step 3: Wrap the pulp in a strong cloth and squeeze very hard, in batches, until no more liquid comes out. Discard all the liquid. Leave the pulp to rest in a colander, weighted, for 1 hour, then squeeze again.
60 minStep 5: Heat a large heavy frying pan or wok over a medium-low heat. Add a 1 cm layer of meal and toast, stirring and turning constantly, until completely dry, crisp and pale golden, 25–35 minutes per batch. Repeat with the rest.
70 minStep 6: Spread on a tray to cool completely; it crisps further as it cools. Store airtight for up to 2 months.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does couac take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 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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