Remembering The Most Delicious Cassava I've Ever Ate

Happy new month everybody it's been a while since I shared a recipe in this wonderful community. I want something different, something special and memorable. And for my today's post my sister in law created a yummy, chewy rice cake that she loved to buy in local and online. Its really more delicious when we'll make it on our own. This kind of rice cake is also a successful business of my friend. But she stopped because she had a stroke and needed to take a lot of rest. This is why my sister in law made her own rice cake and here I am to share her recipe.

Ingredients

3 kilos of Cassava
Banana leaves
1 whole coconut (fresh and shredded)
1 and 1/2 kilo brown sugar

Procedure

My daughter @katsuki29 was helping her aunt to do the cassava rice cake. First they peel the cassava then wash it throughly. Then manually grate it with a handmade grater.

After gratering the three kilos of cassava they will squeeze the excess liquid of it. Its said that it will make the finished product more chewy and will have a fine texture.

Add one kilo of brown sugar. Mixed it well and set aside.

For the filing; get the fresh buko shred. Used it's own juice to caramelize add 1/2 kilo of brown sugar. Boil in a very low heat, it will thicken on its own. Let it cool and set aside. Ordinary cassava has no filling inside, but my friend's recipe is special even it takes a lot time and effort to make.

While waiting for the buko filling to cool down. They prepare the banana leaves, this is the hardest part to gather banana leaves. Specially to my friend situation, that is her main material in order to sell cassava. In a week she insist to sell four times. And she scrolls around our barrio just to find banana leaves. In a range of more than seven kilos of cassava she needs 2-3 full grown tree of banana tree. So four times how many tree she'll need. She'll have no commission if she needs to buy banana leaves in the market. In return she gave a few cassava to the owner of the banana leaves.

She sells her cassava with a cheaper price. Before she had stroke she sell it for 3 pieces 20.00 php or $0.34 that was year 2012. Then the next years $0.17 per piece. But she stopped, she was alone, it was very hard. Buying cassava in the market, peeling it all, grating it, squeezing it, wrapping it with the filling. Cooking it in wood, it took a lot of hours. Then she'll ride her side car, going around the barrio to sell it. She has a son but they didn't want to help their mom.

My family witness my friend situation she was just our neighbor before. I was her regular customer, I even help her sell her cassava to hubby's relative. She has someone to help but she is the most tired of all. As the years went by she worked on a canteen school. Before she had her mild stroke last year she worked in a factory of sweets. She even gave us free candies or biscuits so in return I gave her fish and eggs. And now before reaching her 50th she stays with my aunt, until now she doesn't want to be a burden on her family. She is kind, understanding, sweet friend of mine. And I'll treasure our days together. The cassava reminds me of her a lot, she wanted to be always strong for her family. But there's always a weakest point on ourselves.

The costumer also loved it because of its uniqueness. It's chewy, hot and with the exact sweetness that you'll want to eat over and over again. This why I didn't put any step on each of the procedure. Because I never thought that I was able to write my friends recipe with her touching story.

After cutting the banana leaves on it's accurate size we're now ready to wrapped it. Because my daughter didn't took photos I'll instruct on how to do it. On your palm put the banana leaves, put one half tablespoon of cassava scatter around. Then one teaspoon of buko filling then one half tablespoon of cassava again. Wrapped it secure and tight. Repeat the same process until you finished the threee kilo's.