Cassava Flatbread is an easy to make grain free and paleo flatbread. It is soft, flexible and full of onions and peppers to give it loads of flavor.
When I was in Haiti a while back, I tried a whole host of new foods. One item that we ate on the regular was casav. Casav was a of kind flatbread that happens to be gluten free and paleo (#trendy). It was small and round and tasted almost sour - like it had been fermented before being cooked.
For breakfast we topped it with peanut butter, for lunch we smashed some avocado on it, and for dinner, we had it along with our soup or rice and beans. We lived, breathed, and ate a ton of casav.
Despite having this flatbread at nearly every meal for a week, I wasn't ready to leave it behind when I left Haiti. Call me a fan. So, I used my best Creole (aka about 2 creole words, a lot of gestures, and a bunch of English thrown in) to ask some questions. I was going to figure out how to make this Cassava Flatbread at home.
It turns out that it has only one key ingredient. Fresh cassava root. Since fresh casava is a tad tricky to find at our everyday run of the mill grocery store, I picked a close enough alternative: casava root flour. This trendy flour is popping up everywhere. It is grain-free, paleo and baked up like a dream.
With just a little recipe finagling, I was able to create something very similar to the casav I had in Haiti. This Cassava Flatbread is tender, bendable, and super easy to make.
There is one cheat I made with this recipe, I didn't let it ferment. I started to. I whipped up this Cassava Flatbread and tucked it into the fridge to ferment for 24 hours. I tried to go about my day the normal non casav obsessed person that I am. I distracted myself. I peeked at it in the fridge. I tried to get some work done. Then I finally broke down and stirred in some apple cider vinegar to get that slightly sour flavor without the waiting time and cooked up some Cassava Flatbread.
All the casav I ate in Haiti was plain and sold in a plastic wrapped stack like tortillas. I took some liberties with this Cassava Flatbread and added in some signature Haitian flavors. This Casava Flatbread is loaded with bell peppers, onions, and garlic. I figured if plain Casava Flatbread was good, loaded savory flavor jam-packed Cassava Flatbread would be better. Turns out it is.
Just don't smother this one with peanut butter... Unless you're into that.
Casava Flatbread with Peppers and Onions
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5-7 flatbreads 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Hatian
Description
Casava Flatbread is an easy to make grain free and paleo flatbread. It is soft, flexible and full of onions and peppers to give it loads of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup casava flour
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil + 1 teaspoon (divided)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons minced bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add in the bell pepper and onion. Sauté until the pepper has softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the casava flour to a medium bowl. Stir in the salt. Add in the coconut oil, water and apple cider vinegar. Stir with a whisk until there are no lumps. Add in the sautéed vegetables and stir to combine.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Spray it with some nonstick cooking spray. Take 2 tablespoons of the casav batter and press it between two sheets of oiled parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to form a circle. Peel back the paper and add it into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the casava starts to darken in color and the underside is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side for about 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Alyssa says
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I didn’t add the sautéed veggies, I just made it plain. I also had to add almost a full cup of water to the recipe to make it pliable enough to roll.
The dough is a bit delicate to work with, but they are pretty easy to make.
The taste is fantastic, and I will definitely make them again and again!
Katie says
Easy to make, and delicious!! Thank you!! I will definitely be making again!!