the classic recipe
Brazilian tapioca crepe (cassava starch)
Tapioca is Brazil's naturally gluten-free breakfast — a soft white cassava-starch disc folded in half over a visible filling. Endlessly versatile: savory (coalho cheese with butter, chicken with cream cheese, dried beef, egg and cheese) or sweet (coconut with condensed milk, banana with cinnamon, chocolate). Tropical, light, quick, and iconic to Brazil's Northeast. Properly hydrated goma is everything.
yields 1 servings·1113 kcal per serving·cuisine Brazilian
The traditional recipe
Instructions
Place 100 g of polvilho doce (sweet cassava starch) in a bowl and cover with an equal weight of filtered water (100 ml). Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
After hydrating, carefully tilt the bowl and discard any water sitting on the surface. If needed, lay a clean kitchen cloth over the goma to absorb remaining moisture — the starch should have the consistency of wet plaster.
Break up the hydrated mass with your hands and sieve it through a medium-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. The result should be a silky, slightly moist flour that clumps when pressed and breaks apart easily. Add a pinch of salt and mix.
Heat a small non-stick skillet (18–20 cm) over medium heat with no oil or fat. To test readiness, sprinkle a tiny bit of goma — it should jump off the surface within seconds.
Lower to medium-low heat. Spread the sieved goma evenly across the pan, forming a uniform disc. Do not press — let it settle on its own.
Wait 1 to 2 minutes, until the grains fully bind together and the disc releases naturally from the pan, firm and lightly crispy on the bottom.
Distribute the chosen filling over one half of the disc: for the classic savory option, use grated coalho cheese (50 g) and salted butter (10 g); for the coconut-sweet option, combine shredded coconut (30 g) with condensed milk (20 g) beforehand.
Using a spatula, fold the unfilled half over the filled half to form a half-moon. Press gently and heat for another 30 seconds to warm the filling through.
Slide onto a plate and serve immediately — tapioca softens and loses texture quickly if left to sit.