Fried Cassava AKA Muwogo

It’s hard to go hungry on the streets of Kampala. If you have as little as 1,000shs, you will be able to get something to tide you over as you journey. If it is not a slice of fruit or pancakes (which are made using cassava flour) or gonja, or a rolex then it can be some fried cassava.

Unfortunatlety, it can be hard to tell the nice tasting, soft-on-the-inside cassava from the hard, dry, overly crispy one simply by looking. You will have to rely on the expertise of the seller. Ask them to pick out only the soft ones for you and if you are lucky, you will get that cassava that will momentarily make you forget about eating anything baked ever again. Plus, that carbohydrate will power you on.

BUT, Big But,

Cassava is hard to swallow without a drink. Even the soft kind will get lodged in your throat with nothing to wash it down. So, pair with a cup of tea…also available on the street, or carry it indoors and there, you can do more with it. Avocado is a popular addition to cassava. You can also add a little salsa/kachumbari. Salsa makes things more colourful and thus, better.

Where ever you go in the world, you will find cassava. And since it is gluten free and gut friendly, it is becoming even more popular. I learnt recently that Yuca is the spanish word for cassava and that tapioca pudding is made from cassava.

In Uganda, we cook muwogo/cassava by steaming, boiling, adding it to beans for katogo and of course frying it for a ready to go snack. The only seasoning needed? Salt.