Step 1

You want to get a bit over 1 kg of cassava, probably about 1.3-1.5 kg. Peel the waxy skin off. Use a knife to also scrape off the shiny layer that coats the cassava after that. This is important for good-tasting tape singkong.

Step 2

I used the frozen peeled cassava because I'm lazy to peel the cassava :) Thaw them in the fridge overnight. Pat it dry and inspect to see if you see any shiny layer that coats the cassava. If you see it, use a knife to scrape it off. This is important for good-tasting tape singkong

Step 3

Cut the cassava into smaller pieces, not too small though. We want a good size, about 3-inch halved log. You don’t need to remove the tough core in the center of the cassava (not yet)

Step 4

To boil or to steam? most of the time the cassava is steamed. My mom highly recommends boiling them instead of steaming. Why? By boiling the cassava in the water, the tape singkong will be much moister. There will be a bit more sweet “juice” at the end of the fermentation. Simply boil them in water until they are just fork-tender but not mushy. Drain off boiling water after that

Step 5

After boiling use a clean spoon or fork to transfer them on a clean tray in one layer to let them cool down completely, about 1 hour or so. Try not to touch them with your fingers anymore as we want everything as clean as possible. Once they cool down completely, transfer them to a large mixing bowl getting ready to be mixed with the yeast later

Step 6

While waiting for the cassava to cool down completely, you can use a blender or food processor to grind the rice yeast ball into fine powder. Alternatively, you can also use a mortar and pestle to do the job, I found it harder to do so, but it’s probably just me

Step 7

Sprinkle the powdered yeast all over the cooked cassava. Make sure every piece is coated with it. You can use a spoon to mix them around in a mixing bowl or wear a glove and mix it around. I tried not to touch them with my hands anymore

Step 8

You can line the container with oversized cleaned banana leaves, enough to fold over to cover the cassava. This is optional. I didn’t use any banana leaves. Mom said that the banana leaves helps to speed up the fermentation process too. Transfer the yeast-coated cassava into the container. You may need more than one container if it’s not enough to store all of them in one. Cover with a tight-fitting lid

Step 9

The perfect temperature is 75-95 F (24-36 C). I placed them in the oven and turn on the “breadproof” setting to make it warm enough for the fermentation to happen. You can also use an incubator, or if it’s warm where you are, simply put them in a dark place, away from direct light or sunlight. If you have Instant Pot, you can use the yogurt setting to start the fermentation

Step 10

It took 4 days for mine to complete. I checked them after 48 hours and they already had a nice sweet and tangy aroma when you open up the lid. By day 4 (in my case), the cassava pieces are really tender and can be easily mashed. The aroma gets stronger and there is some liquid in there too and it is a rice wine but with very low alcohol content as we only ferment it for a few days

Step 11

You can take a small bite to see if the tape is sweet and soft enough for you at day 3, if it is, you can stop the fermentation. If it’s not, then you can continue to ferment it for another day and do a test again. Stop the fermentation if you are happy with the taste. What you are looking for are : sweet and slightly tangy taste, and faint aroma of alcohol. The tape singkong is noticeably softer and can be easily mashed with a fork. If all those presents, you can stop the fermentation

Step 12

Tape singkong tastes the best when you chill them in the fridge for few days. Simply store them in the fridge. Keep in mind the longer you store, the more intense the aroma is going to be and they actually will be sweeter too