Crispy Air Fryer Cassava (Mogo)
Cassava is a starchy root vegetable and it is DELICIOUS!!!! I grew up eating it deep fried which, in my opinion, is the best way to eat it.
I don’t do a lot of deep frying at home, primarily because my husband hates the smell, and second, if I am being honest, I am intimidated by a vat of burning hot oil in my kitchen.
My solution to the above issues? Air fry it at my house, but eat it deep fried when my Mom makes it for me. She could deep fry something with her eyes closed. Not joking.
I tried these in the air fryer a few years ago, and was so excited when the mogo turned out crispy! We now make this quite often and the mogo tastes almost as amazing as the deep fried version.
Recipe for Crispy Air Fryer Cassava (Mogo):
Ingredients Needed:
1 package of frozen cassava
Salt to taste (I like a good amount)
Cayenne to taste *optional
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
Olive oil or canola oil spray
Servings Made: 3-4 depending on how large your bag of cassava is
Time to Prep: 20 minutes
Time to Cook: 20-30 minutes
How to Make:
Boil the frozen cassava in a pot of salted water for about 20 mins or until just tender. Don’t over boil or cassava will be too soft and mushy. Test doneness with a fork. It should enter the cassava easily with a slight resistance but the cassava should not mush off the outside.
Pro tip - just like when boiling potatoes, place the frozen cassava into a pot of cold water and boil. If you put the cassava into a pot of water that is already boiling, the outsides will become mush while the insides stay undercooked.
Drain and allow cassava to cool. Slice into sections about 1 or 1 ½ inches thick. Remove inner stiff strands from cassava.
Store in fridge until ready to use.
Before air frying, toss cooked cassava in 2-3 tablespoons of oil and some salt. Air fry for about 25min at 380°F. Turn and spray with oil two more times during cooking. Top with some cayenne powder before serving if you wish.
Pro tip - Don’t crowd the air fryer basket or they will not cook up evenly.
Finally, serve with my tamarind chutney or green chutney and crunch away!
Enjoy!