Farofa Especial

What is Farofa?

Farofa is a traditional Brazilian side dish, often served with rice and beans. It is made from cassava flour, obtained by grinding the root of the mandioca plant. Farofa comes either in coarsely powdered form or as raw ground flour. It is also commonly used in Asia for making steamed sweet desserts. In Latin America and Asia, this plant is known as mandioca or yuka, and in English in Asia as tapioca.

For this Farofa Especial recipe, we use lightly toasted tapioca farofa granules mixed with vegetables and grated coconut. This Portuguese-style “Especial” Farofa offers a healthy, tasty twist on the classic variant. Mildly spicy, crumbly, and toasty, this dish is easy to make and sure to impress friends and family. For a sweeter variant—traditional in Rio de Janeiro—try banana farofa. Check out the Banana Farofa recipe here.

Print Recipe

Portuguese Style

By Dadaji – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (alternatively you can use olive oil)
• 2 fennel bulbs, sliced
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 cup dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil and diced
• 1/2 cup pitted and finely chopped black olives
• 1/2 cup pitted and finely chopped green olives
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 3 cups tapioca flour granules
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon rose pepper powder
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1

In a wok, heat coconut or olive oil over medium heat.

2

Add fennel, parsley, dried tomatoes, and chopped black and green olives; sauté each ingredient for about one minute before adding the next.

3

Add half the salt to draw out the vegetables' juices, then gently toss and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes.

4

Add the tapioca flour granules, gently folding them in with the vegetables.

5

Add the remaining salt, cumin powder, rose pepper powder, and grated coconut.

6

Squeeze the lemon juice over the mixture and toss everything together.

7

Continue folding gently until the mixture is well combined with no clumps of flour remaining, then transfer to a serving plate.

Nutrition

• 241.8 Calories
• 52.8g Carbohydrates
• 0.0mg Cholesterol
• 9.4g Fat
• 4.3g Fiber
• 2.4g Protein
• 325.0mg Sodium
• 0.0g Trans fat

Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve with beans and rice or feijoada, a traditional Brazilian bean dish.