Farofa de Manteiga

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 25 to 30 cm skillet
• •Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• •Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the fat

   Put a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter and oil, and let the butter melt until it foams gently and smells sweet, not brown. The oil helps the butter behave so it doesn't burn before the onion has time to soften.

2. 2

   Soften the onion

   Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it goes soft, glossy, and see-through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Don't rush this. Onion that murcha slowly turns sweet and gives the farofa depth; onion scorched in a hurry tastes harsh and follows you through every bite.

3. 3

   Wake the garlic

   Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, just until you can smell it. That's the checkpoint. Garlic needs a short ride in the fat, not a vacation, because burnt garlic turns bitter and ruins the whole pan with great confidence.

4. 4

   Toast the flour

   Add the cassava flour and salt. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom and folding the flour through the butter, until it turns lightly golden, dry, loose, and nutty-smelling, about 5 to 7 minutes. Keep the heat medium-low. High heat burns the bottom before the middle toasts, and then you've made bitter dust instead of farofa.

5. 5

   Find the point

   Taste a spoonful. It should be crisp, buttery, and sandy, with no raw flour taste. If it still feels chalky, toast for another minute. If it tastes flat, add a pinch more salt. Pegar ponto here means trusting your mouth, not obeying the clock like it's the boss of dinner.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley if using. Serve warm or at room temperature beside rice, beans, couve, eggs, grilled meat, or whatever is resolving dinner tonight. Farofa should stay loose enough to scatter, not greasy enough to clump.

Chef Tips

• •Buy farinha de mandioca, not wheat flour, not breadcrumbs, and not a seasoned packet. The bag should say cassava or mandioca. If it already tastes like factory garlic and mystery salt, leave it there.
• •Coarse toasted cassava flour gives the best crunch for everyday farofa. Fine flour works, but it drinks the butter faster and can feel drier, so lower the heat and watch it closely.
• •The honest Tuesday shortcut is using already toasted cassava flour. Good. Use it. The cost is that you still need to toast it again in butter for flavor, just a few minutes less.
• •If you want it richer, add one more tablespoon of butter at the end and stir off the heat. If you add too much at the beginning, the flour can fry unevenly and clump.
• •Leftover farofa keeps in a closed container in the fridge for 4 days. Rewarm it in a dry skillet over low heat until it loosens and smells nutty again.

Advance Preparation

• •Chop the onion and garlic up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
• •Cooked farofa can be made a few hours ahead and held at room temperature if your kitchen is cool. For longer storage, refrigerate and re-toast gently before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)