Destination
Rio de Janeiro
The story
Aipim na manteiga is the Brazilian boteco side you order without thinking: chunks of cassava (aipim in the south, macaxeira in the north, mandioca everywhere else) boiled until they collapse when pressed, then finished in a hot pan with butter, garlic and parsley until the outside crisps and the inside stays fluffy. Served in a small ceramic dish alongside a cold chopp and whatever else is on the table (linguiça, torresmo, bolinho de bacalhau).
Method
Cut the cassava into short 5cm rounds. Use a sharp knife to score the tough skin lengthways and peel off in strips (there's an outer brown layer and an inner pink one; both come off). Skip this step if using pre-peeled frozen cassava.
Place the cassava in a large pot, cover with cold water by 3cm, add the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance. Fresh cassava can sometimes take longer: keep going until fork-tender.
Drain and pat dry. Split each chunk down the middle and pull out the tough fibrous core running through the centre (it looks like a small stem). Discard the cores.
Melt the butter in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Once foaming, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, don't let it brown. Add the cassava chunks and turn to coat.
Cook 5 to 7 minutes, turning the chunks every couple of minutes, until the outside is deep golden and crisp in places. Some of the cassava will break down into a starchy coating, which is what you want.
Off the heat, scatter over parsley, flake salt and black pepper. Serve immediately alongside a cold beer.
Tips
- Frozen cassava is a good shortcut. Brazilian grocers sell it pre-peeled and pre-cut in bags. Boil straight from frozen; it takes about the same time as fresh.
- The central fibre must go. Every stem of cassava has a woody core that stays chewy even after boiling. Split each cooked chunk and pull it out with your fingers.
- Use good butter, and be generous. The butter is the whole flavour here. Cheap butter gives you a flat finish; a good European-style unsalted butter transforms it.
- Don't stir too aggressively at the end. Turn the chunks with a spatula rather than a spoon. Some of them should crumble slightly to make the crisp coating, but you want most to hold their shape.
- Serve with a cold beer or a caipirinha. This is boteco food. It exists to be eaten alongside something to drink.
More recipes
View all
Fried tapioca-and-coconut dumplings rolled in cinnamon sugar. The cheap Northeastern sweet named for the student's budget it fits.
Small crusty white rolls with a crackly crust and airy middle. The Brazilian breakfast bread every padaria bakes fresh three times a day.
Half a kilo of thin-sliced mortadella and melted provolone piled inside a small French roll. The Mercadão Municipal's single most famous order.
Chocolate condensed milk cooked down to fudge, rolled into balls, coated in sprinkles. The birthday-party sweet every Brazilian grew up on.
Fried bulgur-and-beef torpedoes stuffed with more spiced beef and pine nuts. The Lebanese diaspora's greatest gift to the Brazilian boteco.
Whole eggs, sweetened condensed milk and whole milk baked over dark caramel in a bain-marie. Brazil's three-ingredient answer to the flan.