This home-made, Brazilian fried dough is a breakfast staple in photographer Marcos Florentino’s kitchen.

When Marcos Florentino isn’t capturing vibrant editorials for magazines as one half of the photography duo MAR+VIN, he can be found in the kitchen, cooking up recipes passed down from his family. One of his fondest? Home-made, fried tapioca twists—a staple in Brazil. Florentino reminisces on how this simple, savory recipe reminds him of his childhood: It’s a dish that his mother often made him for breakfast, he tells Family Style. As he puts it, “It’s more than just a dish, it’s a memory of love, warmth, and togetherness.”
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ cups tapioca starch (goma)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- Oil
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil and set it aside. In a large bowl, mix the tapioca starch and salt.
- Pour the boiled milk over the starch and stir.
- Gradually add the eggs, mixing continuously until the dough is smooth and consistent. Knead well until it becomes homogeneous and easy to mold.
- Take small portions of the dough and shape them as you like: ropes or rings.
- Heat oil in a pan, then turn off the heat. Add the twists to the hot oil while the heat is off to prevent them from becoming greasy or splattering.
- Turn the heat back on and fry the twists until they turn golden. Remove them from the oil and let them drain on paper towels.
- Serve while warm and enjoy!