Place the cassava tuber on a cutting board, cut off the tip and tail of the root, wash thoroughly and pat dry.

Remove the peel using a small knife. Cut the cassava root into small manageable pieces, approx. 10 cm long. Then slice through the peel of each piece vertically – from top to bottom. Be sure to cut through both the brown skin and the thick white layer.

Gently wedge the knife under the peel so that it lifts up and can be removed in large pieces and then work your thumbs under one side of the cut. Be sure to get underneath the first white layer too, as it will help you peel the skin off in large chunks. Once you’re underneath the peel, you can work your thumbs down the length of the root, peeling the skin off like a jacket. You can still use your knife if you do not want to use your thumb.

Be sure to remove all the brown peel, as well as the thin white layer just beneath it. You may decide to use a vegetable peeler to remove any remnants of peel .

Once peeled, cut away any brown streaks, as these parts are no longer fresh. If the entire cassava is riddled with streaks throw it out.

If you are hesitant to use a knife you may decide to use a vegetable peeler. It will not give you a natural finish but it will not affect the texture or flavour of the cassava.

Once the root is peeled, start grating

Grate the cassava on a box grater. The best side of the box grater to use is the small, prickly side that has the rough raspy holes.

Place a flat tray on a cloth on a bench. The cloth will stop the tray from sliding during the grating process.

Place your box grater on the tray and using your non-dominant hand, grab onto the top handle of the box grater and hold it tightly. Hold the pieces of peeled cassava with your dominant hand and carefully move it back and forth against the holes or grating slots of the grater. As you grate, keep the grater pressed tightly against the tray.

Remove the fibrous strings at the core of the cassava.

If you are using frozen cassava you may find out that they is extra moist. This is because some have water added to the mix. In this case, you may need to use  a cloth to  wring out some of the moisture. If you grate your own, you do not need to wring out any moisture. You require some moisture to successfully form the balls, but if you have too much moisture, your balls will not keep their shape.

Add sugar, nutmeg and vanilla essence to grated cassava and mix thoroughly.

Scoop enough of the grated cassava into the palm of your hand and gently mould it into a small ball the size of a golf ball. The ball has to be fairly loose to allow the heat to travel to the interior. If you make it too tight it will take a long time to cook in the inside and the ball will become extremely dense. When cooked it should have a gelatinous feel through the whole ball.

It is also critical that you do not ‘roll’ the ball as it will always break because it is held together only by the remaining moisture left in the cassava flour. Once you have successfully formed one ball, repeat the same procedure for the other balls.

Cut some baking paper and line the bottom of the pot that you are using. Traditionally, a piece of banana leaf was used for this purpose. The baking paper or banana leaf acts as a buffer between the hot pot and the cassava balls and hence minimises the possibility of the daube burning.

It is recommended that you try to have only one layer of balls in the pot.  Therefore, use a large flat bottom pot that has a lid to cook the daube.

Gently place the koudpwen on the baking paper or banana leaf and add the coconut milk, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla.

Transfer the pan on heat and cook the daube on low heat. The daube has to be cooked on very slow fire because the starch can easily burn if the heat is too aggressive.

Partially cover the pot and avoid stirring. Instead, gently shake the pot occasionally.

After 10 minutes, use a skewer and poke once through all the balls. This will allow the heat to be transferred into the inside of the balls and facilitate thorough cooking.

Let the daube simmer for another 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened

Remove from the heat and allow it to rest. The daube will thicken when cooling because of the starch in the cassava will keep on absorbing the milk

Serve warm as a dessert. It will feel less dense when still warm.