Since I came back from Brazil, I’ve been dying to try some new recipes but for some reason (possibly laziness) I’ve been putting it off for quite some time. But not anymore! Today I’m sharing how to make Brazilian Tapioca.
If you don’t know what that is yet, let me introduce you to it. Tapioca is a typical Brazilian dish made with tapioca starch/flour. It’s commonly eaten as a breakfast dish or light meal. Sometimes even as a snack, depending on how hungry you are.
Tapioca starch is a staple ingredient in the Brazilian diet as it’s a cheap ~and delicious~ alternative to flour and its versatility is amazing, plus it’s a bless to all coeliacs. Tapioca has its origins in the northern states of Brazil, but it’s widely found all over the country.
The flour is made from a root (Cassava) also popular in South East Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. So here in Australia, I use the oriental type of starch (same, same but different).
The root itself, cassava, is also widely used in Brazilian cooking. Perfect as a side dish, served fried or boiled and with meats or even just butter, a typical breakfast in the North-eastern parts of Brazil.
How to Make (Brazilian) Tapioca
Now that you know a little more about this Brazilian staple, it’s time to get cooking.
To make the tapioca (as Brazilians know it), you have to hydrate the starch to create a thicker flour. Then it will be sieved and cooked over a hot pan. The process is simple but it may need a little bit of adjusting to it.
I’ll give you a little step-by-step to guide you through it:
Start simply with tapioca starch and water. Coffee for energy.
Add water slowly mixing through with your hands until it becomes crumbly.
Once the tapioca is hydrated, use a sieve to eliminate large crumbs. You can add salt too if you want to use your tapioca for savoury foods or you can add shredded coconut for sweet recipes (or nothing at all).
This is one of the ways to hydrate your tapioca and the easiest I know.
Now, if you want you can store the tapioca for around 1 week in the fridge or you can prepare your tapioca straight away. Just sift the flour on top of a hot pan and the tapioca will cook for 1 minute. Then turn it around and fill it with a sweet or savoury topping of your choice and fold it in half.
I’ve just shared a quick IGTV so you can see the whole process in action!
View this post on Instagram
- 500 gr of tapioca starch
- 1½ cup of water
- Salt (optional)
- Add the tapioca starch in a large bowl.
- Slowly add water until it is moist but not excessively wet.
- Sift the tapioca over a hot pan making sure to cover all pan.
- Turn the tapioca after 1 minute or so.
- Add the fillings of choice and fold it.
- Serve and enjoy!
Suggested fillings:
Savoury:
- Cheese
- Tomato & cheese
- Cheese tomato and basil
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Spinach and feta
- Tomato and spinach
Sweet:
- Peanut butter
- Homemade Nutella
- Chocolate & coconut
- Homemade caramel
- Banana & Cinnamon
- Apple, Cinnamon & Clove
- Jam of your choice
The sky is the limit and you can be creative with your fillings. But let me know if you discover an amazing combination! I’d love to try new combos.
I hope you guys enjoyed the recipe and hope you get the chance to try something deliciously different!
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Peace & Love,
Larissa
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9 Comments
Gabi
19/06/2018 at 2:01 pmHmmm love it!
Larissa Tedesco
10/03/2020 at 8:30 am💚💚💚
Tiffany
10/03/2020 at 1:45 amIs tapioca flour the same as tapioca starch… Obviously different but my local stores in Michigan are only showing flour. And I also fell in love with this while in Brazil.
Larissa Tedesco
10/03/2020 at 8:30 amHey Tiffany, yes. Tapioca flour and starch are the same. Glad to know you love Tapioca! It’s such a treat indeed x
Lisa
26/07/2020 at 7:40 pmThis has definitely been the most exercise I’ve had all lockdown! 😉 I either added too much water, or didn’t mix and crumble for long enough, but my mixture kept turning into a cement-like texture. But at least I got a workout! 😀
Larissa Tedesco
27/07/2020 at 8:26 amOh hi Lisa! I’m glad you worked up a sweat, the Tapioca is a tricky recipe to get started with. Maybe I’ll add a little video on how to make it because it can be quite daunting to know the right consistency if you’ve never seen it yourself. Thanks for your feedback and I hope you have better luck next time! 😉
Larissa x
Birgitta Devlin
01/06/2023 at 5:58 amMy brasilian friend fries the tapioca as is without adding any liquid at all – very much simpler. What is she missing?
Vanessa
23/08/2020 at 3:42 pmso happy to find this recipe, I tried this at a market yesterday and fell in love with it. it looked so simple to make, amazing how it forms a wrap style base for yummy fillings. sounds like it may take a bit of practice getting the quantity of water to tapioca correct. I will have to try this week. a video would be great 🙂
Larissa Tedesco
24/08/2020 at 9:44 amHey Vanessa, that’s so good to hear! And yes, it does takes a bit of practice, even for Brazilians. I’ll be uploading a video soon on my IG and linking it back here for instructions. Thanks for your feedback.