“Cassava (known as manioc or, in Rio, aipim) is a major ingredient in Brazilian cooking, and versions of bolinhos – fried balls – are found in all the best botecos in Rio,” says Burgess.
“Cassava (known as manioc or, in Rio, aipim) is a major ingredient in Brazilian cooking, and versions of bolinhos – fried balls – are found in all the best botecos in Rio,” says Burgess. “Usually dried meat is used, but we’ve chosen crab to lighten it up and make the most of seafood at its peak in winter through spring. Blue swimmer crab is very Rio, too, so it just seems right somehow. The molho, or sauce, is a tropical addition to the snack, and is a mix between Portugal and the New World. Think of an aromatic piri piri sauce but with much more complexity.”
Ingredients
Chilli sauce
Blue swimmer crab filling
Method
Main
1.For chilli sauce, process ingredients and 2 tsp sea salt in a blender to a fine purée, season to taste and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Chilli sauce will keep refrigerated for a month.
2.For blue swimmer crab filling, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, curry leaves and mustard seeds and sauté until translucent (3-4 minutes). Add passata, coconut milk and stock, bring to the boil and cook until reduced by half (10-15 minutes). Add crab and simmer gently until just cooked (3-4 minutes). Add herbs, season to taste, then chill (1 hour).
3.Boil cassava in a saucepan of salted water until tender (40-45 minutes), then drain, season with salt, and mash to a paste. Cool to room temperature, beat in yolks, butter and flour, season to taste and beat to form a smooth dough.
4.Flatten ¼ cup of cassava mixture in the palm of your hand to form a rough 8cm round. Place a heaped teaspoonful of crab mixture in the centre, then roll and pinch the cassava mixture around to enclose. Roll into a ball and place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate while you repeat with remaining mixture.
5.Heat oil in a deep saucepan to 180C. Deep-fry crab balls in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown (8-10 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Add a sprig of curry leaves to oil and fry until crisp (30 seconds). Drain balls on paper towels, season to taste, scatter with curry leaves and serve hot with chilli sauce.
Cassava is available from Latin American and Indian grocers. Smoked tomatoes are available from select delicatessens; if they’re unavailable, substitute semi-dried tomatoes and add 1 tsp smoked paprika. Rapadura sugar is available from health-food shops and Latin American grocers.
