Passport & Plate - Moqueca de Baiana
Brazil | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
4 pieces of firm fish - this could be hake, cod, sea bass or even salmon
300 g prawns, head and legs removed but you can leave the outer shell on if you wish.
300 g calamari, cut in rings
200 ml coconut milk
1 red capsicum, sliced in rings
1 yellow capsicum, sliced in rings
1 green capsicum, sliced in rings
6 medium sized tomatoes
2 small onions, sliced in half circles
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
juice of 1 lime
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tbsp palm oil
a handful of chopped coriander
2 chopped spring onions
2tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt
How to prepare this recipe• Place the fish pieces in a bowl.
• Season with lime juice, salt and ground pepper.
• Then put to one side.
• In a separate bowl, season the prawns and calamari with salt and pepper and put to one side.
• Heat the olive oil gently in a large pan and then add the chopped onion and garlic.
• Lightly cook until the onion is translucent.
• Then layer over this the slices of onion, pepper rings and the tomato slices.
• Sprinkle half the coriander over the vegetables.
• Place a lid over the pan and allow to very gently simmer until all the vegetables are soft.
• This can take up to forty-five minutes.
• Then stir in the coconut milk and allow to heat through before adding first the pieces of fish and then the prawns.
• Put the lid on again and allow to cook for eight to ten minutes.
• Five minutes before the end, pour over the palm oil.
• Garnish with the remaining coriander and chopped spring onion
The story behind this recipeDuring my twenties, I was in the fortunate situation of being able to meet people from all over the world on a daily basis. I was teaching English as a foreign language to fantastically diverse multinational classes. At the time, one particular nationality stood out to me and that was the Brazilians. They seemed to me a melting pot of different cultures that lived life and enjoyed each day with a fervor I had never experienced before. My quest to discover the Brazilian spirit had begun.
Several months after having taken up a teaching post in Rio de Janeiro, I found myself on a bus to the original capital of Brazil, Salvador de Bahia. I discovered to my delight that unlike the majority of Rio, Salvador had retained its beauty and architectural majesty from colonial days. Yet layered over this was a heady mix of African and American culture I had not expected. An influence that made itself apparent in the music, religion and food that was such a huge part of the street culture there.
It was in Salvador that I ate my first moqueca whilst dining at the house of friend. Moqueca is the most traditional of all Brazilian dishes, typically a seafood stew with a tomato-based sauce and plenty of fresh peppers, onions and garlic. It is made all over the country but in Salvador it had one particular ingredient that made it stand out from other versions. A vegetable base has is given time to soften and merge, coconut milk is added and fish and seafood placed on top. But then comes the absolute ‘piece de resistance’, palm oil is liberally poured over, giving it such a distinctive Bahian quality that no other moqueca can match – a startlingly rich orange colour with an incredible depth of flavour.
I watched intently as my friend prepared his ingredients in a Zen-like fashion, not allowing any distractions to get in the way. He exuded peace and calm as he slowly and deliberately followed each step of the recipe until the dish was ready to consume. This was Brazil.
