In the Northeast a plate of churrasco often includes garlic noodles with dry cassava flour (farinha de mandioca) on top. That flour is a dry meal from a Brazilian market, not tapioca starch. It is macarrão alho e óleo, then a handful of raw cassava flour, not a second bowl of toasted cassava flour (farofa). An arrumadinho is a composed plate that lines the noodles up with the skewer, the farinha, and the meat. Pratinho plates in Piauí and Ceará do the same. This is a Nordeste side.
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Ingredients (about 6 sides)
- 1 lb (450 g) spaghetti or linguine
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) fine salt in the pasta water, for about 4 liters / 4 quarts water
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil, or half oil and half unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) fine salt for the garlic oil, plus more to taste
- 3/4 cup (90 g) farinha de mandioca, the dry toasted-looking cassava flour, to throw on at the end
Method
- Cook the pasta in the salted water until just tender. Save 1/2 cup of the water.
- In a wide pan, warm the oil on medium-low and cook the garlic until it is pale gold, not brown. Brown garlic is bitter.
- Add the drained pasta, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a splash of pasta water. Toss 30 seconds.
- Off the heat, add the farinha a handful at a time and toss so it coats the noodles and stays sandy, not a paste.
How you know it is done
The noodles are coated and the farinha stays sandy. If you add it on the flame with too much water it turns to glue. That is the only easy way to ruin this. People add more farinha at the table.
What to buy
Farinha de mandioca, not tapioca starch. One bag covers the noodles, farofa, and paçoca. The usual mid is the bag to get first.
- Low: Yoki farinha de mandioca — real cassava flour, not tapioca starch, and a bag you can actually find.
- Usual mid: Amafil farinha de mandioca — the usual mid when the Brazilian market has it.
- High: Amafil or Yoki farinha de mandioca torrada from a Brazilian grocer — the toasted bag if they stock it, not a luxury brand invented for this page.
Next cooks
Region: Nordeste.
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