Root crop starch

Ingredients

• Fresh root crop tubers (cassava, sweet potato, taro or yam)
• Clean water

Equipment

• Sharp knives
• Buckets
• Grater (manual or mechanised)
• Fine mesh cloth
• Press (optional)
• Plastic tubing
• Drying tray
• Drier
• Grinder

Preparation

1. Wash, peel and re - wash the tubers. Place the peeled tubers in a bucket of clean water until ready to grate.
2. Grate the peeled tubers into a fine pulp. Place the pulp in a clean bucket. Cover the pulp with plenty of clean water. Stir the pulp and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
3. Filter the pulp through a clean piece of cotton cloth and keep the water in a separate bucket. Squeeze out as much water from the pulp as possible (a press can be used for this operation).
4. Place the pulp in a clean, empty bucket and cover with more clean water. Stir the pulp thoroughly and allow to stand for a further 10 minutes. Filter the pulp as described in (c) above. Add the filtered water to the bucket containing the filtered water collected from the first pulp washing operation.
5. Repeat step (d) until the water used for washing the pulp remains clear.
6. Discard the pulp (or dry and use as animal fodder).
7. Leave the filtered water to stand overnight in the bucket.
8. Carefully syphon off the filtered water from the bucket using a piece of clean, plastic tubing. Discard the water.
9. A layer of starch will appear at the bottom of the bucket. Carefully rinse the surface of the starch with clean water. Discard the rinsing water. Cover the starch with more clean water and allow to settle for 1 - 3 hours.
10. Syphon off the top layer of water.
11. Scrape out the starch from the bottom of the bucket. Place on a drying tray lined with a piece of clean plastic and sun dry. If using a drying cabinet, place the starch on a clean metal sheet.
12. Break up the starch at frequent intervals throughout the drying process so that the starch dries thoroughly.
13. Continue to dry the starch until it resembles a fine white powder.
14. Grind the starch and package in clean, dry, air tight containers, sealed plastic bags or sacks until required. Store in a clean, dry and well ventilated place.