Chilli Garlic Mogo

RECIPE: CHILLI GARLIC MOGO
Chilli Garlic Mogo is a lip smacking, spicy, starter dish made using cassava or yucca. Made in the style of the famous Indo-Chinese Chilli Paneer, it goes really well with chilled beer. It is a dish that you will not miss on most of the Indian Restaurant Menus. You will not find this dish in India and till recent was not on the menu in any of the Kenyan Restaurants. However, the UK trend is catching on fast and nowadays one can easily order Chilli Garlic Mogo in fast food Indian restaurants in Kenya.
Should Chilli Garlic Mogo Be The National Veggie Dish Of UK?
Mogo is commonly the misspelt mhogo coined by the East African Asians. Mhogo is simply cassava, yucca or tapioca. Well, let us get one thing cleared, this root does not grow in UK. However, the best of cassava is found in the grocery stores in UK, either from the Caribbean Islands or East Africa. You will find the fresh ones or frozen ones.
Famous In UK
So how did this dish then become very popular in UK? Don’t know for sure but would love to find out. The story goes that an ex Kenyan Asian born in India emigrated to UK and started a restaurant. One of the starter dishes he prepared was a copy of the famous Chilli Paneer from India. Chilli Paneer is actually an Indo Chinese dish where Indian spices mix with cornstarch and soy sauce, resulting in a very tasty balance of flavours dish usually enjoyed with chilled beer.
As back then paneer was a rarity in UK or too expensive, the next best option of cassava or mhogo, mogo. The first time ever I tasted Chilli Garlic Mogo is when my UK based family ordered take away from the famous ‘The Regency Club’. My mum loved this dish and would always order it whenever we went to any of the Indian restaurants for a meal.
Memories
Having tasted it in UK during my visits, it was time to recreate the dish in my kitchen in Mombasa. As I knew it was based on the chilli paneer recipe, making this dish was not difficult. After a few tries got the perfect balance of flavours that suited my family. For one, I don’t add bell pepper or capsicum as hubby is allergic to them.
My Veggie Lady Esther bought loads of Mhogo and insisted that I buy some. She grows them on her farm. The cassava was fresh and I couldn’t refuse buying it from her. So, it was time to make the revised version of Chilli Garlic Mhogo, keeping my fingers crossed that it comes out well and I can take some photos of the dish.
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Can I Air Fry Or Bake The Boiled Mogo?
Instead of deep frying the boiled mogo pieces you can air fry or bake them. I prefer baking them. Brush the mogo pieces lightly with some oil. Preheat the oven the to 200C. Bake the mogo for 20-30 minutes until they appear a little crispy. Remember you don’t want to over bake them as they will become dry and hard.
To use the air fryer, use the same setting you would for potato wedges. Every air fryer has different settings.
Ingredients Required For Chilli Garlic Mogo:
- Cassava – mogo, mhogo, tapioca, yucca, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled. I like to boil in salted water in a deep pan. That way I can watch that the cassava does not over cook. Over cooked or boiled cassava does not retain its shape. You want mogo that is not too soft or too hard when cooked. Once boiled you need to deep fry the mogo pieces lightly. Don’t allow it to become brown otherwise the overall texture of the mogo will become hard.
- Onion – red, yellow or white. Peeled and chopped finely.
- Green Capsicum – cut into chunks. I have not used any as hubby is allergic to them.
- Garlic – for this dish you need an extra amount of garlic. I prefer to mince the peeled garlic.
- Green Chillis – either chopped finely or minced.
- Ginger – peeled and minced or cut into thin julienne.
- Spring Onion – chop both the white and green parts.
- Cumin Seeds – jeera, jiru.
- Oil – enough for deep frying and stir frying.
- Tomato Puree – fresh thick tomato puree. Can use canned passata or make at home. I boil the tomatoes in just enough water till they become soft. Then I puree them into a thick paste.
- Soy Sauce – best to use dark soy sauce.
- Chilli sauce – use any homemade chilli sauce, sriracha or as I do Peptang Chilli Sauce.
- Tomato Ketchup – use a good quality one like Heinz. I don’t like to use the local tomato ketchup as they tend to have too much of starch in them.
- Red Chilli Powder – I like to use Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder as it lends a lovely red colour to the dish.
- Salt – add according to your taste. Remember, you have boiled the cassava in salted water.
- Brown Sugar – need a bit for the balanced sour and sweet taste. However can omit it if you want to.
- Pepper Powder
- Lemon Juice – add according to your taste. Can serve lemon wedges on the side.
- Fresh Coriander – chopped for garnishing

CHILLI GARLIC MOGO
Ingredients
- 500 g cassava mogo
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 small green capsicum cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- ½ cup fresh tomato puree thick
- ½ cup spring onion chopped
- 3 tbsp chilli sauce of your choice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 -2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½-1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp oil
- 6 to 8 green chillis sliced or minced
- ½ tsp pepper powder
- oil for frying
- 3-4 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
PEEL AND BOIL THE MOGO:
- Peel, wash and cut the mogo into bite size pieces.
- Boil enough water in a saucepan.
- Add 1½ tsp salt to the water and the mogo pieces.
- Boil the mogo till just done. Make sure it doesn't get overcooked.
- Drain out the water and let the mogo cool down for a while.
- Pat them dry with a kitchen towel if deep frying.
FRY THE MOGO
- Heat oil in a wok or kadai for frying over medium heat.
- Fry the mogo in batches till it is light pink in colour. Do not over fry otherwise it will become dry.
- Alternately, bake them in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes. Brush the pieces lightly with oil before baking.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- Mix tomato puree, ketchup, soy sauce, chilli sauce, chilli powder, sugar,lemon juice and salt in a bowl.
PREPARE CHILLI GARLIC MOGO:
- Heat the oil in a wide pan.
- Add cumin seeds and then the onion.
- Stir fry the onion till it becomes soft and translucent.
- Also add chopped capsicum if using any along with the onion.
- Add garlic, ginger and the green chillis. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped spring onion. Give it a quick stir.
- Add the sauce mixture and mix well.
- Add the mogo pieces and pepper powder. Mix well.
- Garnish with fresh chopped coriander or spring onion and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you want to add capsicum or bell pepper, cut them into chunk sizes and stir fry with the onion.
- For a more spicy mogo add more chillis. Avoid adding chilli rings if serving it to kids.
- For more gravy or sauce double the amount of sauces.
- Use good quality mhogo and not the stringy type.
- Choose mogo where the flesh is white and blemish free.
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A little request:
- If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
42 Comments
Swathi Iyer
May 28, 2014 at 8:26 pm
Delicious , I love casava a lot, I try this recipe.
Minesh Patel
May 15, 2016 at 9:10 pm
Hi Mayuri bhabhi thanks for sharing this amazing recipe Nerali gave it a try for the little ones first birthday last year and it was a huge hit since then she make it regularly.
Mayuri Patel
May 16, 2016 at 4:44 pm
Thank you so much for trying out my recipes.
Sangita
February 28, 2019 at 11:27 pm
Great recipe, my family loved it. Thank you 😁
Swati
February 6, 2020 at 4:29 am
I never used cassava in my cooking but this looks quite inviting.. maybe if I get it I will give your recipe a try..garlic chilli casava looks so inviting!! must make a good snack or starter for parties.
Shobha Keshwani
March 27, 2022 at 2:59 pm
Chilli garlic mogo looks so delicious. I love spicy snacks. My hubby prefers the boiled one. We used to have it a lot in Brazil. India it is not easily available. Only in Kerala.
mayurisjikoni
March 27, 2022 at 6:07 pm
Thanks Shobha, yes cassava is quite difficult to find in India. I’ve got it sometimes in Bangalore and have made this dish twice.
Kalyani
March 28, 2022 at 6:30 am
garlic chilli mogo looks and sounds delish. Sounds a lot like chilli paneer with the khatta meetha teekha flavours…
I think I can work with the kerala tapioca here.
mayurisjikoni
March 29, 2022 at 9:21 pm
Thanks Kalyani, as mentioned in the write up, it is a version of chilli paneer started in the UK as back then cassava was more readily available than paneer.
Preethi Prasad
March 29, 2022 at 9:30 am
I have recently started using Cassava. Chilli garlic mogo looks irresistible. I will definitely try this next time I buy cassava. Bookmarking this recipe.
mayurisjikoni
March 29, 2022 at 9:03 pm
Thank you so much Preethi. Enjoy the recipe when you try it out.
Sujata Roy
March 29, 2022 at 9:55 pm
Hi Mayuri I love chilli garlic chicken, paneer and some other vegetables but never used mogo. A completely new ingredient for me. Chilli garlic mogo looks super tempting. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I would love to try it whenever I can get mogo.
mayurisjikoni
March 31, 2022 at 2:07 pm
Thanks Sujata, I know cassava is not readily available in India and not many state cuisines make use of it except for Kerala. I sometimes get cassava in Bangalore.
Priya Vj
March 29, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Never used cassava in my cooking ,but I can only imagine how flavor packed this chili garlic mogo must be with every bite . I don’t think cassava is used widely in India ,hav to look for it if my stars are bright
mayurisjikoni
March 29, 2022 at 9:01 pm
Thanks Priya, I have often made this dish in Bangalore. In the past have bought it from the vegetable vendor who comes to our complex and also from one of the supermarkets, can’t remember which one.
Rinku Bhattacharya
March 29, 2022 at 9:49 pm
This is such an interesting way to cook casava. New to me, but I love Indo-Chinese Flavors. I am pretty sure I will like this.
mayurisjikoni
March 31, 2022 at 2:09 pm
Rinku, where you are am sure you will get frozen cassava, yucca in ethnic stores like the Indian stores, or Caribbean ones. Try the recipe out, am sure your family will enjoy it.
Archana
March 30, 2022 at 2:23 am
I have never used cassava in my life but I guess I can use the same recipe for like you said paneer, sweet potato, yam. I definitely will try it on my girls this week thanks.
mayurisjikoni
March 31, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Archana yes we create so many variations using the basic Indo Chinese chilli sauce.
Priya Srinivasan
March 30, 2022 at 6:04 am
Chilli garlic mogo looks terrific mayuriji! Mouth-watering flavors! Loved reading the history about the dish! Perfect example for the words necessity is the mother of invention! I would definitely want to try this delicious dish!
mayurisjikoni
March 31, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Thank you so much Priya, yes it necessity is the mother of invention. Whoever created this dish was obviously and ex Kenyan from India.You should try it out as I am sure you get frozen cassava.
Mina Joshi
March 30, 2022 at 7:33 am
Just love the flavours of all the sauces and spices mixed to create Chilli garlic mogo. It is my favourite dish to order in Indian restaurants. I hadn’t realised that it became popular in UK first.
mayurisjikoni
March 31, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Thank you so much Mina, chilli garlic mogo or chilli mogo was never a Kenyan dish. Neither is it Indian. The earlier restaurants opened in London by ex Kenyans featured this dish on their menus.
Uma Raghupathi
April 4, 2022 at 4:37 pm
I love the flavors and spices in the chili garlic mogo recipe. When I bought the casava I remembered your recipe and we enjoyed this on weekends. Thanks!
mayurisjikoni
April 5, 2022 at 8:19 pm
Thanks Uma,am so glad you enjoyed chilli garlic mogo.
Myyellowapron
April 4, 2022 at 10:26 pm
Honestly, didn’t know what mogo was until this post. isn’t it amazing that we are learning new things from each other? Going to try this recipe for sure.
mayurisjikoni
April 5, 2022 at 8:17 pm
Thank you so much.It is the kiswahili word for cassava or yucca. If you get them in the frozen section at your local store, then you should try out chilli garlic mogo.
Hem lata
April 6, 2022 at 8:25 am
Its really a very offbeat recipe i have come across recently. Have never tried mogo in form of any snacks or such kind of flavor full method to cook it. Looks so delicious.
mayurisjikoni
April 6, 2022 at 9:42 pm
Thank you SO much Hema, in Kenya cassava or mogo is a staple. Have grown up enjoying it in a variety of ways.
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram
April 6, 2022 at 8:55 pm
I grew up with a lot of tapicoa in Kerala. I love how tasty these roots are. I am so glad you present them in very different ways making them even better. Loved this chilli garlic mogo.
mayurisjikoni
April 6, 2022 at 9:38 pm
Thank you so much Seema. Cassava is a staple in Kenya and no wonder the Indian community there has incorporated it well into the Indian cuisine. Try this recipe as you may find frozen variety in Indian shops.
Avin Kohli
April 7, 2022 at 7:23 am
Mayuri Ji you always bring unique dishes from all over. This one is also one of those recipes.
I would love to try this. I am sure it tastes as good as it looks. Superb share.
mayurisjikoni
April 7, 2022 at 6:55 pm
Thank you so much Avin. If ever anyone visits Kerala, ask them to bring cassava for you so you can try out this recipe.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
April 7, 2022 at 10:23 am
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. We love cassava / tapioca chips and that is pretty much the only thing I make with it. This recipe for the chili garlic mogo was amazing and we all loved it. And I love the name Mogo. One new culinary vocabulary that I learned 🙂
mayurisjikoni
April 7, 2022 at 6:52 pm
Thank you so much Sandhya. Am glad another cassava recipe has been added to your menu. If you ever visit Kenya, you now know a Kiswahili word Mogo and what it means 😉
Lata Lala
April 7, 2022 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe Mayuri. I have never heard or tasted mogo but want to give it a try. Hope to get all the ingredients soon here as it looks super tempting with chili garlic flavours.
mayurisjikoni
April 7, 2022 at 6:49 pm
Thank you so much Lata, I know getting cassava in India is difficult. Hopefully you’ll find some as it is widely used in Kerala.
Hayley Dhanecha
April 9, 2022 at 4:44 am
Mayuri ,mogo has special place in our family and no one say No for any mogo dishes. Along with mogo chips this chilli garlic mogo is our favourite too, but slightly our recipe is different than yours. It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow and guess what, I and my mum have your version of chilli mogo on our menu. I am sure he will be delighted 🙂
mayurisjikoni
April 10, 2022 at 7:27 pm
Thanks Hayley, hope your dad enjoys the slightly different version of chilli garlic mogo. And a very happy birthday to him.
Anshika Juneja
April 16, 2022 at 2:21 am
This Chilli Garlic Mogo looks so delicious. I just love indo-fusion dishes and this seems so interesting and tempting. I’m definitely going to try this.
mayurisjikoni
April 18, 2022 at 10:19 pm
Thanks Anshika, enjoy when you try out the recipe.
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