Ingredients
Starch
- 400 ggoma de tapioca, hydrated cassava starch
- or 300 g tapioca starch, polvilho doce, plus about 120 ml water
- ½ tspsalt
Sweet fillings
- grated coconut with condensed milk
- banana with cinnamon
- chocolate spread
- guava paste with cheese, Romeu e Julieta
Savoury fillings
- queijo coalho or mozzarella
- carne seca, dried beef
- butter and cheese
- ham and cheese
Equipment
- a fine sieve and a non-stick pan
To serve
- immediately, folded in half
Directions
- Put dry tapioca starch, polvilho doce, in a bowl and sprinkle water over it a little at a time, rubbing it through with your fingers. Add water in sprinkles rather than pouring it, since the aim is damp crumbs rather than a paste. It should feel like damp sand and clump when squeezed, then break apart cleanly.
- Let it stand for twenty minutes to hydrate evenly, then sieve it. Sieving is not optional and it is not about removing lumps: it aerates the starch into a light even powder.
- Sieve it twice if the first pass leaves anything clumped. Add the salt as you sieve it through. It should end up looking like fine dry snow, however damp it felt in the bowl.
- Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat with no fat at all. Use no oil or butter, since the starch needs to contact the dry surface directly to fuse.
- Keep the heat moderate, since a fierce pan browns the underside before the top has set. The pan should be hot enough that the starch begins to change within twenty seconds.
- Sprinkle the sieved starch evenly over the base of the pan to a depth of about three or four millimetres. Spread it evenly with a spoon or by shaking the pan, and do not press it down. Cover the whole base, since gaps become holes in the finished crepe. Do not touch it while this is happening.
- Scatter the filling over one half of the crepe while it is still hot. Cheese needs a moment to melt, so add it, fold the crepe over and press it briefly. Fold it in half and slide it onto a plate. Now serve it straight away, hot.
Technique
- There is no batter, egg or liquid; the dry starch fuses in the pan.
- It needs hydrated goma de tapioca, not dry starch from the packet.
- Sieving aerates the starch and is what keeps the crepe tender.
Substitutions
- Dry tapioca starch hydrated yourself, if goma pronta is unavailable.
- Mozzarella in place of queijo coalho.
Variations
- With coconut and condensed milk, the classic sweet version.
- With carne seca and cheese, from the northeast.
- Romeu e Julieta, with guava paste and cheese.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tapioca?
Tapioca is a breakfast from Brazil: cassava-starch crepe folded over coconut, cheese or condensed milk.
How long does Tapioca take to make?
Tapioca takes 15 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 crepes. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Tapioca?
Yes, within limits. Dry tapioca starch hydrated yourself, if goma pronta is unavailable. Mozzarella in place of queijo coalho.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tapioca?
Put dry tapioca starch, polvilho doce, in a bowl and sprinkle water over it a little at a time, rubbing it through with your fingers. Add water in sprinkles rather than pouring it, since the aim is damp crumbs rather than a paste. It should feel like damp sand and clump when squeezed, then break apart cleanly.
