AI-generated image
Mihogo choma
Grilled cassava with chilli
Mihogo ya kuchoma: Mombasa charcoal-grilled cassava with chilli and lime
On Mombasa's Jomo Kenyatta beach and along the seafront at Dar es Salaam, vendors fan little charcoal grills loaded with cassava, then slice each piece open, rub in chilli and salt and squeeze lime over it. The outside chars and crisps while the inside stays soft and starchy, and the chilli-lime rub makes it hot, sour and salty all at once. Eat it as an evening snack or alongside beans and kachumbari. Cassava must never be eaten raw: peel it, pull out the woody core and boil it until tender before grilling; skipping that parboil is the classic mistake, and it leaves the centre hard. Chef's tip: let the boiled cassava cool and dry for 10 minutes before grilling; a dry surface chars, a wet one only steams.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb cassavafresh, or frozen peeled cassava
- 8 ¼ cups waterfor boiling
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 limeshalved
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut fresh 2 ¼ lb cassava into 10 cm lengths, slit the thick brown-and-pink skin lengthways and peel it off completely. Halve each piece lengthways.
Step 2: Put the cassava in a pot with 8 ¼ cups water and 1 tsp of the 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat and simmer until a knife slides through easily, about 20 minutes (frozen cassava about 15). Throw away the cooking water.
20 minStep 3: Pull out and discard the tough, stringy core from the centre of each piece. Leave the pieces on a rack to cool and dry for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Light a charcoal grill or heat a ridged grill pan over a high heat. Brush the cassava lightly with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Step 5: Grill, turning every few minutes, until charred in places and crisp all over.
12 minStep 6: Mix 1 tsp chilli powder with the remaining ½ tsp salt on a plate. Make a few slashes in each hot piece, dip a cut lime half from 2 limes into the chilli salt and rub it all over the cassava, squeezing as you go. Serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 77 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mihogo choma take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- What can I use instead of chilli powder?
- Cayenne, half the amount (hotter).
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese