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General Preparation
Banana Leaves may be purchased in frozen form in Hispanic and Oriental markets. Half a banana leaf is used for recipies of wrapped foods like boyo, dokunu, et cetera. Just before use, the leaves are defrosted, halved, and briefly passed through warm water, making them flexible enough to fold into bundles and tie before boiling.
makes 8 cups Peel the yucca root with a sharp knife or potato peeler. Cut the root into 2" chunks and boil in water for about 20 or 30 minutes, until softened. Drain the yucca and mash it with a fork. Then squeeze it dry with your hands, and use it in soups, breads, et cetera. The yucca can be spread on a wooden board, covered lightly with a cloth, and left to dry out overnight. 1 1/2 dozen patties Moisten hands with water and form yucca into plum sized balls. Flatten with palms of hands, or place yucca between two pieces of waxed paper and flatten with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Make them very thin up to 1/2" in thickness, according to to taste. Cook from 1 to 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness, on a hot, ungreased griddle over high heat. Serve hot. The Cassava can be kept at room temperature and will store indefinitely.
1 coconut Pierce the eyes of the coconut with an ice pick and drain out the water. Crack open the coconut with a hammer and pry the meat from the coconut shell. Chop or grate it on the medium side of a hand grater (not the shredding side), not too fine. Warm the water and add the coconut meat. Simmer over very low heat for about ten minutes and strain out the coconut meat. Use the strained milk in recepies, beverages, et cetera. An alternative preparation would be to combine the warm water and shredded coconut meat in a blender. Blend for several minutes and then strain to seperate. 1 medium sized coconut will yield about 4 cups of shredded pulp.
Remove the husks from ears of corn (or purchase the husks in Hispanic markets), according to number needed for tamales recipes. Reserve the largest husks and discard the others. Clean the husks throughly, removing any cornsilks, soil, et cetera, carefully. Then sterelize the husks by placing them in a large mixing bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Let them stand for ten minutes, drain, and repeat sterilization process once more before using them in recipes.
1 cup rice In a heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid, combine the rice and water. Simmer the rice, uncovered, over medium high heat until the water is absorbed and "eyes" appear in the rice, about 10 minutes. Stir, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook another 10 minutes. Take the pot off heat and let it sit undisturbed for fifteen minutes. For brown rice, each cup of rice requires 3 cups of water.
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