MADAMAGAZINE Your Magazine about Madagascar
Hen’omby saosy dipoavatra sy mangahazo sésame
Cassava (Malagasy mangahazo, meaning blue tree) is perceived in Madagascar more as “poor people’s food” and less as satiation like rice. The tuber tastes similar to potatoes and can be eaten as a side dish in the same way. Zebu meat, on the other hand, is common everywhere in Madagascar. In this recipe, both are on the plate together with a delicious pepper sauce.
Ingredients for 3-4 people:
- one fillet of beef
- two cassava tubers
- 100 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 50 g sesame seeds
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- oil for frying
- some butter
- 60 g pickled green pepper
- 2 heaped teaspoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chicken broth
- salt, pepper
Here’s how:
Peel the cassava with a knife and cut it into finger-length pieces. Cook in boiling, salted water for a good 20 minutes, until the pieces are soft but not falling apart (like potatoes). Rinse and pat dry, then it’s time to bread them: Fill one bowl with flour, one with the two beaten eggs. Fill the third bowl with sesame seeds and breadcrumbs and mix well. Season the cassava pieces with salt and pepper Roll the cassava pieces one by one in the flour, then pass them through the egg and coat them with the sesame and breadcrumb mixture.
In a frying pan, saute the green pepper in a little butter. Cut the beef fillet into four-inch-thick slices. You can save the tips of the fillet for another recipe. Heat the oil in a high pot to 165°C. Add the breaded cassava pieces one by one to the oil and deep-fry for a few minutes until golden. At the same time, sear the medallions on both sides in the pan. Reduce heat slightly and add butter. Allow meat to cook until just before the desired doneness, then place in aluminum foil and set aside. Pour the stock in the pan with a cup of water with the chicken broth dissolved in it. Add the green pepper, stir in the heavy cream, and season the sauce to taste. Add the beef medallions to the sauce again very briefly, pour in the juice in the aluminum foil.
Arrange the beef medallions with sesame manioc on plates and serve with the sauce. Enjoy your meal!
