Bambam (Cassava Bread) is a traditional Saint Vincent and the Grenadines recipe for a classic flatbread made from de-starched cassava meal (farine) and includes how to prepare the farine. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Saint Vincent and the Grenadines version of: Cassava Bread (Bambam).
Begin by peeling the cassava then grate into a bowl using the side of your grater with the star-shaped blades. You will end up with a fine mass.
Once all the cassava is grated, you need to wring out all the excess moisture. Take a clean cloth and pile some of the cassava inside. Wrap the cloth around the cassava mass then wring it as hard as you can to remove as much of the liquid from the cassava as possible. Turn the cassava clumps you have left over into a bowl then continue with the wringing process until all the cassava has been wrung.
As you're looking for flour or farine at the end of this process, you now have to break the clumps of cassava up. You can either break the clumps up with your fingers, but by far the easiest way is simply to grate the cassava clumps once again (use the wide grater side this time).
Once you have a fine, flour like bowl of grated cassava make sure there are no left-over clumps by whisking gently. Now take half the cassava powder and add to a second bowl. Mix in the grated coconut, ground cinnamon and grated cinnamon. Mix thoroughly to combine. To the bowl with just cassava meal, add the salt. This way you have a plain bambam mixture and a coconut bambam mixture.
Place a thick-based frying pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot, add in about 3 handfuls of the cassava mixture (enough to cover the base). Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, pressing down on the mixture with a spatula to compact. Also use the spatula to even up the edges into a round, thick, pancake shape.
Once the base has firmed up and coloured to your liking, use the spatula to carefully lift up the cassava bread then flip over and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside to keep warm then clean the pan and put back on the heat. Cook your next cassava bread. Continue in this manner until all the cassava mixtures have been used up.
Note that if you want to keep your cassava flour then you will need to cook it at the stage where it's grated and wrung. Take a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add fat (beef tallow or pork lard is traditional). Ensure the pan is well greased then add your farine and toast until golden in colour and dry. It can now be stored in a jar just as you would wheat flour.
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