🇹🇿 Tanzanian / Swahili · Desserts
🍮 Tanzanian Cassava Pudding
Pudini ya Muhogo
Tanzanian Pudini ya Muhogo — fresh grated cassava baked with coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom into a dense, chewy, golden-crusted pudding. The coastal Tanzanian baked cassava dessert — a naturally gluten-free, completely local preparation with a uniquely satisfying texture.
Cassava pudding is one of the most traditional Tanzanian coastal desserts — grated cassava, coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom, baked until the top caramelises and the interior becomes dense and slightly chewy. It is the dessert of the coast's most practical kitchens, using the most available ingredients to produce something genuinely special.
Ingredients
Equipment: Greased baking dish (20x20cm), Oven at 175°C
- 500g fresh cassava — peeled and finely grated
- 400ml thick coconut milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of salt
Optional: ½ cup desiccated coconut folded in
Method
- Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease baking dish.
- Squeeze excess moisture from grated cassava through a clean cloth.
- Combine cassava, coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, vanilla, eggs, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Add desiccated coconut if using.
- Pour into greased dish.
- Bake 35—40 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool 15 minutes before cutting.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef Tips
- Squeezing moisture from the cassava is essential — wet cassava produces a soggy pudding.
- The top should be deep golden — this is where the most flavour is.
- Cool before cutting — it firms as it cools.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not squeezing cassava.
- Cutting too hot.
The Science
Cassava starch gelatinises during baking — the starch granules absorb the coconut milk and egg proteins, forming a dense gel matrix. The top layer caramelises through Maillard reactions and caramelisation of the natural sugars, creating the characteristic golden, slightly crispy crust over the soft interior.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Naturally gluten-free.
- Cassava provides resistant starch.
- Coconut milk adds MCTs.
Cultural Note
Cassava pudding is coastal Tanzania's most grounded dessert — made from what grows everywhere, with the coconut that is always available, producing something completely satisfying without needing anything imported. It is the dessert of self-sufficiency and abundance.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate 4 days. Freezes well 2 months.
Reheating: Warm in oven at 160°C.
Serve with: As a standalone dessert, With fresh mango, With coconut ice cream (TZA164)