Empamonado from Cuiaba with mince meat (empamonado cuiabano com carne moida)

This simple beef recipe is thickened with cassava flour, a popular ingredient in Brazilian cooking.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 g beef, fat trimmed, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 1 cup cassava flour (see Note)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Marinating time 1 hour

Instructions

Place beef in a bowl and season with half of the garlic, salt and black pepper. Stand for 1 hour, to marinate.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium. Cook remaining garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes. Add beef and cook for 5 minutes or until well browned. Add the water. Bring to the boil. Gradually sprinkle over the cassava flour, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps. Cook for 3 minutes or until consistent. Season with salt, then remove from heat. Scatter over parsley. Serve immediately.

Note

• Cassava is a native South American plant. Cassava flour is available at speciality grocers or online.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.