Fresh cassava root is used to make cassava flour, also known as garri. In West African nations like Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, it's highly prevalent. Making garri isn't hard, but it does include some traditional methods that you might not be familiar with. Fear not—we will guide you through the entire procedure and address any questions you may have!
You can use a vegetable grater or your fingers to remove the skin. Take your time and take care not to peel the root too deeply. All that needs to be removed is the skin! Cassava root is traditionally peeled by hand, but if you'd rather, you may definitely use a vegetable peeler. An even sharper paring knife will work just as well.
With a sharp knife, trim and discard the ends. Next, chop the root into tiny fragments. It doesn't really matter how big the pieces are; 2 in (5.1 cm) chunks will work just fine. Grinding the root is made simpler by chopping it into smaller pieces.
Rinse well since peeling causes the skin to lose a lot of dirt. Rinse the pieces under cool water several times until they are thoroughly clean. Put them on a sanitized towel. Use a manual rasper or cassava grater if you don't have access to a motorized one.
Use a manual rasper or cassava grater if you don't have access to a motorized one.
To ensure optimum fermentation, store the pulp at room temperature. Make use of palm branches, bark, or cane baskets. Give the pulp 24 to 48 hours so that the fermentation process can be finished. In order to degrade the cyanide chemicals in cassava root, fermentation is essential. It could be fatal if the cyanide in your flour isn't broken down. But don't worry—proper fermentation is highly effective at this task!
Traditionally, hessian sacks—special permeable bags—are utilized. Fill the porous bags—often referred to as "hessian sacks"—with the wet pulp, then seal the ends. Any porous cotton bag or cheesecloth you happen to have on hand could work well for this. For this purpose, polypropylene sacks can also be employed.
This takes out the majority of the moisture in your pulp. You can use any heavy objects you have on hand to make the sacks heavier. Traditionally, big rocks or logs were employed. The liquids in the pulp will be forced out by the weight's pressure.
Use a manual screw press if you have one to "de-water" the pulp much more quickly.
Give the pulp an additional day to complete the process if it is still somewhat wet after two days.
The powder is separated and lumps and fibers are eliminated by pressing. The part of the cassava that you need for flour is the fine powder. Proceed to dispose of the fibers and lumps that are unusable for flour.
Traditionally, a screen composed of palm branches was used to filter the powder.
Working in smaller batches increases thoroughness and efficiency. Place the powder in a cast-iron pan or small frying pan and bring to a high temperature. To keep the powder from burning, stir it regularly. When the powder is all brittle and dry, remove the pan from the heat. Usually, it takes twenty to thirty minutes.
Heating the flour is crucial because it eliminates any leftover cyanide gas! Microorganisms and enzymes in the flour are also eliminated by it.
After frying the flour, allow it to come to room temperature. The flour should next be ground into a fine or coarse meal using a quality processor or grinder. Garri of commercial grade is typically offered in extra fine, fine, coarse, or super coarse varieties.
Store the ground garri in a cool, dry location (a pantry or cupboard would work wonderfully) in an airtight container.
Garri keeps fresh for six months when stored properly.
You can use a vegetable grater or your fingers to remove the skin. Take your time and take care not to peel the root too deeply. All that needs to be removed is the skin! Cassava root is traditionally peeled by hand, but if you'd rather, you may definitely use a vegetable peeler. An even sharper paring knife will work just as well.
With a sharp knife, trim and discard the ends. Next, chop the root into tiny fragments. It doesn't really matter how big the pieces are; 2 in (5.1 cm) chunks will work just fine. Grinding the root is made simpler by chopping it into smaller pieces.
Rinse well since peeling causes the skin to lose a lot of dirt. Rinse the pieces under cool water several times until they are thoroughly clean. Put them on a sanitized towel. Use a manual rasper or cassava grater if you don't have access to a motorized one.
Use a manual rasper or cassava grater if you don't have access to a motorized one.
To ensure optimum fermentation, store the pulp at room temperature. Make use of palm branches, bark, or cane baskets. Give the pulp 24 to 48 hours so that the fermentation process can be finished. In order to degrade the cyanide chemicals in cassava root, fermentation is essential. It could be fatal if the cyanide in your flour isn't broken down. But don't worry—proper fermentation is highly effective at this task!
Traditionally, hessian sacks—special permeable bags—are utilized. Fill the porous bags—often referred to as "hessian sacks"—with the wet pulp, then seal the ends. Any porous cotton bag or cheesecloth you happen to have on hand could work well for this. For this purpose, polypropylene sacks can also be employed.
This takes out the majority of the moisture in your pulp. You can use any heavy objects you have on hand to make the sacks heavier. Traditionally, big rocks or logs were employed. The liquids in the pulp will be forced out by the weight's pressure.
Use a manual screw press if you have one to "de-water" the pulp much more quickly.
Give the pulp an additional day to complete the process if it is still somewhat wet after two days.
The powder is separated and lumps and fibers are eliminated by pressing. The part of the cassava that you need for flour is the fine powder. Proceed to dispose of the fibers and lumps that are unusable for flour.
Traditionally, a screen composed of palm branches was used to filter the powder.
Working in smaller batches increases thoroughness and efficiency. Place the powder in a cast-iron pan or small frying pan and bring to a high temperature. To keep the powder from burning, stir it regularly. When the powder is all brittle and dry, remove the pan from the heat. Usually, it takes twenty to thirty minutes.
Heating the flour is crucial because it eliminates any leftover cyanide gas! Microorganisms and enzymes in the flour are also eliminated by it.
After frying the flour, allow it to come to room temperature. The flour should next be ground into a fine or coarse meal using a quality processor or grinder. Garri of commercial grade is typically offered in extra fine, fine, coarse, or super coarse varieties.
Store the ground garri in a cool, dry location (a pantry or cupboard would work wonderfully) in an airtight container.
Garri keeps fresh for six months when stored properly.