How to make use of 'singkong' in kitchen

By Syamala Monie

JAKARTA (JP): Last year, as I set foot on this gifted land which is rightly called the Emerald of Indian Ocean, what fascinated me first was the eye-catching greenery. Outside Soekarno-Hatta airport, along the toll road, were vast stretches of paddy fields on either side, like green carpets being unrolled.

Entering Purwakarta, West Java, I felt the time clock being set back 30 years. The scene was just as it was in Kerala, the southern most state of India, where I spent my early childhood. Beautiful little cottages thatched with red tiles; swaying coconut palms and banana plantations interspersed with tapioca. In one of the compounds I spotted a well with a pulley and rope to draw water. I was filled with nostalgia.

There was a little rivulet with a small bridge, over it, similar to the one we used to call Mani Palam (Mani Bridge). The story behind it goes like this:

In Kerala, during the festival of Onam, it is customary for people to send gifts of fruit and sweetmeats to their daughters- in-law. Our cook, Mani was on his bicycle laden with two jackfruits, a sackful of mangoes and two cans of Payasam, a sweet made of milk, rice and sugar. When he reached the bridge, he lost his balance and fell in, making the river milky. From then on the bridge was called Mani Palam.

I again caught sight of the tapioca cultivation; my mouth watered at the thought of having a breakfast of singkong (I learned the name from the driver; my first Indonesian word) and green chilies.

Singkong, also known as cassava, is rich in carbohydrates and therefore gives you energy to get through the day's hard work. It is eaten fresh in season. Since Kerala faces incessant rains from June to September, this delicious root is processed and stored to keep over the monsoon. The following Sunday saw me dashing off to the local pasar. I came home with a couple of fresh singkong with the earthy smell and the red soil still sticking to them. We had a hearty breakfast of chendamuriyan (so called because the cut pieces look like a chenda, a cylindrical percussion instrument). We had a chutney made of onion and chillies. A drink, sambharam, made of yogurt followed this heavenly concoction. Then I tried to recollect the different ways my mother cooked it.

And here are the recipes, some to eat, some to keep.

Chendamuriyan

* 1 kg singkong * salt to taste

Peel both skins of the singkong and cut into 2 1/2 to 3 inch long cylinders. Wash thoroughly, place in water at least two inches above pieces, cover and cook over medium flame. When soft, drain water. Sprinkle salt and mix by shaking the vessel. Do not use a ladle. Serve with chutney.

Chutney

* 8-10 small green chilies * 1/2 cup small onions (bawang merah) * salt to taste

Grind together adding a little water.

Sambharam

* 1 cup sour yogurt * 3 cups water * 1 inch piece of ginger * 1 tsp lemon juice * a few curry leaves * salt to taste

Crush ginger, salt and curry leaves. Add to the yogurt and whip together adding water and lemon juice. It is a regular drink which follows a breakfast of tapioca, especially in summer as it helps fight dehydration.

Puttu

* 1 1/2 cups tapioca powder * 4 tblsp sugar * 1 cup grated coconut * salt to taste

Roast the tapioca powder to a light golden color. Cool. Add sugar, salt and coconut. Sprinkle water and mix to make a dough which looks like bread crumbs. Fill the puttu steamer (Bamboo) and steam till cooked. It is best eaten with ripe bananas.

Now, some to keep.

Papad

* 2 cups tapioca powder * 10-12 green chilies * 1/2 tsp hing * salt to taste

Grind chilies, salt and hing to a fine paste. Add it to the tapioca powder and make a dough of pouring consistency by adding water. Cook on medium flame till it becomes glossy. Cool the mixture. Spoon out and spread on a plastic sheet to form small, thin, balls. Dry in the sun for 3-4 days and store. Whenever needed deep fry in oil.

Parboiled Tapioca

* 1 kg tapioca

Remove the red skin and cut into oblong pieces of 1" thickness. Bring about 3 liters of water to boil. Drop the cut pieces and turn flame off. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and dry in the sun for 3 to 4 days. Use when required.

Sayur with Cowpeas

* 8-10 pieces parboiled tapioca * 1/2 cup grated coconut * 1/4 cup Hindu cowpea (biji kacang panjang) * 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jinten) * 4 dry red chilies * salt to taste * a few curry leaves

Soak the tapioca and cowpeas separately for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the skin of tapioca and break it into small pieces (1/2") cook lobia in water. When it is almost done; add tapioca, salt and enough water. Cook covered till the tapioca pieces are soft. Grind coconut, chilies and cumin seeds adding a little water. Mix with the vegetables. Break curry leaves and put in. Serve hot with rice porridge (bubur).

Happy cooking and great eating!