Campfire Griddle Brazilian Tapioca Crepes with Sweet Corn and Farm Cheese

Build a small campfire and let it burn down to a steady bed of glowing coals, then set a heavy cast-iron griddle or skillet over the heat to preheat for about 5 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups hydrated tapioca starch (tapioca granulada / polvilho azedo, sifted)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 6 ounces queijo coalho or firm halloumi-style cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, for the griddle
• 2 ripe farmers-market tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly torn
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Flaky salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Build a small campfire and let it burn down to a steady bed of glowing coals, then set a heavy cast-iron griddle or skillet over the heat to preheat for about 5 minutes.
2. Sift the hydrated tapioca starch through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing any clumps through with your fingers, then stir in the sea salt. The finished starch should look like damp, powdery snow.
3. Melt the butter on the hot griddle and add the sweet corn kernels in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until they blister and pop, then scrape them into a bowl and toss with the diced tomatoes and scallions.
4. Wipe the griddle clean and scatter about 1/2 cup of the sifted tapioca evenly across the surface in a 7-inch round. Do not press or stir it — within a minute the granules melt together into a single pliable crepe.
5. When the edges lift cleanly from the pan, about 2 minutes, scatter a quarter of the cheese cubes and a quarter of the corn mixture over one half of the crepe.
6. Fold the bare half over the filling with a spatula, press gently, and cook 1 minute more per side until the cheese softens and the outside picks up a few toasted freckles.
7. Slide onto a plate, top with torn cilantro, a squeeze of lime, flaky salt and black pepper. Repeat with the remaining tapioca and filling, wiping the griddle between crepes.
8. Serve immediately — tapioca crepes are best within a minute of leaving the fire, while the shell is still chewy and the cheese is molten.
9. Tapioca crepes are one of Brazil's great everyday breakfasts, sold from street carts in Fortaleza and Recife long before they became a nationwide staple. The magic is chemical rather than culinary: hydrated cassava starch needs no egg, no flour and no leavening, fusing into a supple flatbread the instant it meets a hot surface. That makes it a near-perfect camping breakfast — one bag of starch, no refrigeration for the dry ingredients, and a griddle over open coals does the rest. In late August, when farm stands are stacked with sweet corn and tomatoes at their absolute peak, the filling practically assembles itself.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 395 kcal
• Protein: 13g
• Fat: 15g
• Carbohydrates: 54g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 620mg