Chilli Mogo

In this Chilli Mogo recipe, fried mogo chips are tossed in a finger-licking schezwan sauce. It’s the perfect vegan appetiser recipe.

What is mogo

Mogo” is a term used in certain regions, particularly in Africa, to refer to cassava. Cassava is a starchy root vegetable commonly used in cooking, similar to potato in taste and texture.

Different names for cassava or mogo depending on the region include:

• Cassava: This is the most common name used globally.
• Yuca: This name is commonly used in Latin America and the United States.
• Manioc: Used in some parts of South America and Africa.
• Tapioca: This refers to the starch extracted from cassava and is used in cooking and baking.
• Mandioca: Another name used in South America, particularly in Brazil.
• Singkong: This name is used in Indonesia and some other parts of Southeast Asia.
• Aipim: Used in Brazil and Portugal.
• Kappa or Maracheeni in South India.

Mogo is perfect just as it as. Indians particularly from East Africa enjoy fried mogo chips with imli chutney but sometimes a dash of flavour takes it someplace else!

It is also fab when tossed in a chilli, garlic and lime seasoning to make chilli lime garlic mogo.

This chilli mogo dish is made with Sichuan sauce and spring onions.

Schezwan sauce is a type of chilli sauce with indo-chinese flavours, made with red chillies and dark soy sauce.

It has similarities to this Masala Mogo which is prepared with soy sauce and minced garlic. You can also try Masala Mogo Chips which are a variation of Masala Chips. They are made with a finger-licking sauce of tomato puree, and spices such as chilli powder.

Indian restaurants all have their own variation of chili mogo – some make it with spices, others with tomato ketchup.

To make an Indo-Chinese thali, go for chilli paneer as well. Other appetisers that work well are air fryer gobi manchurian and maru bhajia.

Chilli Mogo Ingredients

Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post

Cassava chips – you can either use frozen for convenience or buy fresh.

If you can not find frozen mogo chips, then cut the mogo chunks into thinner, smaller pieces.

Schezwan sauce – I use homemade schezwan sauce but store bought works too. If your schezwan sauce is spicy, use less and mix it with sweet chilli sauce.

Spring onion – you’ll need both the white and green parts

Oil – any flavourless oil. You will need more than 2 cups oil if deep frying the chips.

Salt – only add if needed as mogo chips boiled in salted water and sauce has salt too.

How to make Chilli Mogo

Boil the cassava chips in salted water with a dash of oil to prevent the mogo sticking.

Drain the water from the chips, pat dry with paper towel. If the chips are very big, cut into desired size.

Next, you can either deep fry, shallow fry or air fry the mogo.

Add oil to a separate pan and cook the schezwan sauce and sweet chilli sauce for a 1 minute.

Tip in the mogo and toss until well coated.

Sprinkle over chopped spring onion, stir through and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

Serve as a starter or as a light meal. It’s great with cooling lassi like mango lassi or rose lassi.

Serve Chilli Mogo with a squeeze of lemon juice if you wish on a bed of lettuce to tone down the heat.

Storage

Mogo is best eaten immediately after cooking.

Store leftover mogo in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. After this, the mogo will become quite tough and dry. You may need to sprinkle water before reheating.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe especially if using frozen mogo to start with.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Note:- This post was originally posted on 2nd of February 2013 but I have updated the post since with helpful content. The recipe remains the same.